Other

Disciplines

FE
Textbook &
Full Exam
Technical Study Guide &
250+ Practice Problems
Updated October 2020 Exam

Learn the key concepts and skills necessary to pass the FE Exam

by Justin Kauwale, P.E.

 Other Disciplines FE Exam: Textbook & Full Exam

by Justin Kauwale, PE

Published by Engineering Pro Guides, LLC

Honolulu, HI 96815

www.engproguides.com

Copyright © 2019-2020 Engineering Pro Guides, LLC

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form on by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, including information storage and
retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except as permitted by U.S.
copyright law.

October 2020 Edition

ISBN 978-1-7329987-7-3 (ebook)

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 Other Disciplines FE Textbook & Practice Exam
How to pass the FE Other Disciplines exam

Table of Contents
Section 0.0 ..................................................................................................... Introduction
Section 1.0 .................................................................................................... Mathematics
Section 2.0 ..................................................................................... Probability & Statistics
Section 3.0 ........................................................................................................ Chemistry
Section 4.0 .............................................................................. Instrumentation & Controls
Section 5.0 ............................................................ Engineering Ethics & Societal Impacts
Section 6.0 ........................................................................ Safety, Health & Environment
Section 7.0 ...................................................................................Engineering Economics
Section 8.0 ............................................................................................................. Statics
Section 9.0 ........................................................................................................ Dynamics
Section 10.0 ..................................................................................... Strength of Materials
Section 11.0 ........................................................................................................Materials
Section 12.0 ............................................................................................ Fluid Mechanics
Section 13.0 .......................................................................... Basic Electrical Engineering
Section 14.0 .................................................................Thermodynamics & Heat Transfer

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Section 15.0 ...................................................................................................... Full Exam

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0 - Introduction
How to Study for and Pass the FE Exam

Study Guide
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 Section 0.0 - Introduction
Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 1
1.1 Exam Format ....................................................................................................................... 2
1.2 Key Concepts and Skills ...................................................................................................... 2
1.3 Units .................................................................................................................................... 7
2.0 Disclaimer ............................................................................................................................... 7
3.0 How to use this Book .............................................................................................................. 7
4.0 Practice exam tips ................................................................................................................... 8
5.0 NCEES FE Reference Handbook ......................................................................................... 11
5.1 Unit Conversion ................................................................................................................. 11
5.2 Tables and Graphs ............................................................................................................ 12
6.0 Past Exams ...................................................................................................................... 12
6.1 Pass Rates on Survey vs. NCEES ............................................................................... 12
6.2 Estimated Cut Score ..................................................................................................... 12

1.0 INTRODUCTION
One of the most important steps in an engineer's career is obtaining the professional engineering

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(P.E.) license. It allows an individual to legally practice engineering in the state of licensure. This
credential can also help to obtain higher compensation and develop a credible reputation. The
first step towards obtaining your P.E. is passing the Fundamentals of Engineering (F.E.) Exam.
Both tests are administered by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying
(NCEES). The FE Exam is a year round computer based test that can be taken as early as your
senior year in college or with at least 3 years of engineering-related work experience. Once
passed, the FE Exam will certify you as an Engineering in Training (EIT). With enough experience
after passing the EIT, you will become eligible for the PE Exam. Engineering Pro Guides focuses
on helping engineers pass the NCEES exam through the use of free content on the website,
http://www.engproguides.com and through the creation of books like sample exams and
textbooks that outline how to pass the FE & PE exams.

In the FE exam you will not be able to bring in any outside reference material. You will be given
the NCEES FE Exam Reference Handbook, which contains all the necessary equations, tables,
and graphs that you will need to solve each problem. The NCEES FE Exam Reference Handbook
will be provided as a searchable electronic pdf during the test. The key to passing the FE exam
is understanding the key concepts and skills that are tested on the exam and becoming familiar
with using this handbook to solve each problems in approximately 2-3 minutes. Although the

Introduction - 1 www.engproguides.com
NCEES handbook provides the necessary equations for the exam, knowing how to apply them
and which equations to use requires an understanding of the concepts and practice of the skills.
The FE Exam is available for 6 disciplines plus a generic engineering discipline. This textbook
teaches you the key concepts and skills required to pass the Other Disciplines F.E. Exam in a
single document.

1.1 EXAM FORMAT

How is the exam formatted?

The FE exam format and additional exam day information can be found on the NCEES Examinee
Guide (https://ncees.org/exams/examinee-guide/). The entire exam period is about 6 hours, with
2 minutes for signing agreements, 8 minutes for tutorials, and one break up to 25 minutes. You
will have a total of 5 hours 20 minutes of actual exam time to solve 110 problems, which equates
to about 2.9 minutes per problem if spread out evenly. The test is broken up into two sessions.
The length of each session is determined by the number of problems, 55 problems per session,
and not the time. So, you could spend more or less than half the time on the first session, and
the remaining 5 hours 20 minutes will be allotted for the second session. Since the first session
doesn’t have a halfway time limit, it is very important to keep watch of the clock to make sure you
have enough time for the second session. Before each session is completed, you are allowed to
go back to problems that you may have skipped or want to check in that session. However, once
the first session is completed and submitted, you are no longer allowed to revisit the questions in
that session. There is a 25 minute break in between the sessions. You are allowed to take less
than a 25 minute break or no break at all, but this does not increase the time you have to answer
exam questions. No points are deducted for incorrect answers, so be sure to provide an answer
for all questions, even if it is a guess. The final results are scaled based on the exam difficulty.
There are five types of question formats that could be presented on the exam.

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1. Multiple Choice (4 choices) – Select one option, majority of questions in the exam
2. Multiple Answers – Select multiple answers that are correct
3. Select by Clicking – Click on a point on a graph, etc.
4. Drag and Drop – Matching, sorting, labeling, etc.
5. Fill in the Blank – Type in the answer

The types of questions and number of questions per topic will be based on the outline provided
by NCEES, discussed in the next section. These topics will not be labeled on the test. Finally,
the NCEES Examinee Guide states that there will be some questions that will not be scored in
the exam. These are questions that are tested for their quality and possible use in future exams.
Your final results will be given to you 7-10 days after you take the exam.

1.2 KEY CONCEPTS AND SKILLS

How are the key concepts and skills determined?

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The key concepts and skills tested in the sample exams and taught in this technical study guide
were first developed through an analysis of the topics and information presented by NCEES. The
above factors related to timing is considered. The Other Disciplines FE exam will focus on the
following topics as indicated by NCEES. (https://ncees.org/engineering/fe/):

1 Mathematics (8-12 questions)

i) Analytic Geometry and trigonometry
ii) Differential equations
iii) Numerical methods (e.g., algebraic equations, roots of equations, approximations,
precision limits, convergence)
iv) Linear Algebra (e.g., matrix operations)
v) Single-variable calculus

2 Probability and Statistics (6-9 questions)

i) Estimation (e.g., point, confidence intervals)
ii) Expected value and expected error in decision making
Sample distributions and sizes (e.g., significance, hypothesis testing, non-normal
distributions)
iii) Goodness of fit (e.g., correlation coefficient, standard errors, R2)

3 Chemistry (5-8 questions)

i) Oxidation and reduction (e.g., reactions, corrosion control)
ii) Acids and bases (e.g., pH, buffers)
iii) Chemical reactions (e.g., stoichiometry, equilibrium, bioconversion)

4 Instrumentation and Controls (4-6 questions)

i) Sensors (e.g., temperature, pressure, motion, pH, chemical constituents)
ii) Data acquisition (e.g., logging, sampling rate, sampling range, filtering, amplification,

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signal interface, signal processing, analog/digital [A/D], digital/analog [D/A], digital)
iii) Logic diagrams

5 Engineering Ethics and Societal Impacts (5-8 questions)

i) Codes of ethics (e.g., identifying and solving ethical dilemmas)
ii) Public protection issues (e.g., licensing boards)
iii) Societal impacts (e.g., economic, sustainability, life-cycle analysis, environmental,
public safety)depreciation, discounted cash flow, decision trees)

6 Safety, Health and Environment (6-9 questions)

i) Industrial hygiene (e.g., carcinogens, toxicology, exposure limits, radiation exposure,
biohazards, half-life)
ii) Basic safety equipment (e.g., pressure-relief valves, emergency shutoffs, fire
prevention and control, personal protective equipment)
iii) Gas detection and monitoring (e.g., O2, CO, CO2, CH4, H2S, radon)
iv) Electrical safety
v) Confined space entry and ventilation rates

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 vi) Hazard communications (e.g., SDS, proper labeling, concentrations, fire ratings,
safety equipment)

7 Engineering Economics (6-9 questions)

i) Time value of money (e.g., present worth, annual worth, future worth,
ii) rate of return)
iii) Cost analysis (e.g., incremental, average, sunk, estimating)
iv) Economic analyses (e.g., break-even, benefit-cost, optimal economic life)
v) Uncertainty (e.g., expected value and risk)
vi) Project selection (e.g., comparison of projects with unequal lives, lease/buy/make,
depreciation, discounted cash flow, decision trees)

8 Statics (9-14 questions)

i) Vector analysis
ii) Force systems (e.g., resultants, concurrent, distributed)
iii) Force couple systems
iv) Equilibrium of rigid bodies (e.g., support reactions)
v) Internal forces in rigid bodies (e.g., trusses, frames, machines)
vi) Area properties (e.g., centroids, moments of inertia, radius of gyration, parallel axis
theorem)
vii) Static friction
viii) Free-body diagrams
ix) Weight and mass computations (e.g., slug, lbm, lbf, kg, N, ton, dyne, g, gc)Static
friction

9 Dynamics (9-14 questions)

i) Particle and rigid-body kinematics
ii) Linear motion (e.g., force, mass, acceleration)

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iii) Angular motion (e.g., torque, inertia, acceleration)
iv) Mass moment of inertia
v) Impulse and momentum (e.g., linear, angular)
vi) Work, energy, and power
vii) Dynamic friction
viii) Vibrations (e.g., natural frequency)

10 Strength of Materials (9-14 questions)

i) Stress types (e.g., normal, shear)
ii) Combined loading–principle of superposition
iii) Stress and strain caused by axial loads, bending loads, torsion, or transverse shear
forces
iv) Shear and moment diagrams
v) Analysis of beams, trusses, frames, and columns
vi) Loads and deformations (e.g., axial-extension, torque-angle of twist, moment-
rotation)
vii) Stress transformation and principal stresses, including stress-based yielding and
fracture criteria (e.g., Mohr's circle, maximum normal stress, Tresca, von Mises)

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 viii) Material failure (e.g., Euler buckling, creep, fatigue, brittle fracture, stress
concentration factors, factor of safety, and allowable stress)

11 Materials (6-9 questions)

i) Physical (phase diagrams) properties of materials (e.g., alloy phase diagrams, phase
equilibrium, and phase change)
ii) Mechanical properties of materials
iii) Chemical properties of materials
iv) Thermal properties of materials
v) Electrical properties of materials
vi) Material selection

12 Fluid Mechanics (12-18 questions)

i) Fluid properties (e.g., Newtonian, non-Newtonian, liquids and gases)
ii) Dimensionless numbers (e.g., Reynolds number, Froude number, Mach number)
iii) Laminar and turbulent flow
iv) Fluid statics (e.g., hydrostatic head)
v) Energy, impulse, and momentum equations (e.g., Bernoulli equation)
vi) Pipe and duct flow and friction losses (e.g., pipes, valves, fittings, laminar,
transitional and turbulent flow)
vii) Open-channel flow (e.g., Manning's equation, drag)
viii) Fluid transport systems (e.g., series and parallel operations)
ix) Flow measurement (e.g., pitot tube, venturi meter, weir)
x) Turbomachinery (e.g., pumps, turbines, fans, compressors)
xi) Ideal gas law (e.g., mixtures of nonreactive gases)
xii) Real gas law (e.g., z factor)

13 Basic Electrical Engineering (6-9 questions)

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i) Electrical fundamentals (e.g., charge, current, voltage, resistance, power, energy)
ii) Current and voltage laws (e.g., Kirchhoff, Ohm)
iii) AC and DC circuits (e.g., real and imaginary components, complex numbers, power
factor, reactance and impedance, series, parallel, capacitance and inductance, RLC
circuits)
iv) Measuring devices (e.g., voltmeter, ammeter, wattmeter)
v) Three-phase power (e.g., motor efficiency, balanced loads, power equation)

14 Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer (9-14 questions)

i) Thermodynamic laws (e.g., first law, second law)
ii) Thermodynamic equilibrium
iii) Thermodynamic properties (e.g., entropy, enthalpy, heat capacity)
iv) Thermodynamic processes (e.g., isothermal, adiabatic, reversible, irreversible)
v) Heat transfer (e.g., conduction, convection, radiation)
vi) Mass and energy balances
vii) Property and phase diagrams (e.g., T-s, P-h, P-v)
viii) Combustion and combustion products (e.g., CO, CO2, NOX, ash, particulates)

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 ix) Psychrometrics (e.g., relative humidity, wet bulb)Combustion and Combustion
Products

Each of these broad topics were investigated and filtered for concepts and skills that met the
following criteria:

(1) First, the concept and skill must be fundamental principles taught in college. The test
is intended for the engineer right out of college without work or practical experience. The exam
will focus on fundamental engineering principles you will need during your career. However, since
the Other Disciplines topic is broad, the exam will be based on the general knowledge that each
General Engineer develops in school and will not include an in-depth, higher level analysis of a
specific topic. The subjects listed above are the basic curriculum that General Engineers should
encounter before they graduate.

(2) Second, the skill and concept must be testable in roughly 2.9 minutes per problem.
There are (110) questions on the Other Disciplines FE exam and you will be provided with 5 hours
20 minutes to complete the exam. This results in an average of 2.9 minutes per problem. This
criterion limits the complexity of the exam problems and the resulting solutions. For example,
pressure drop calculations are common in Fluids, but the calculation is often very lengthy because
of the number of steps involved, especially if a unique fluid and flow condition is used. Thus,
common fluids like water/air and common pipe/duct materials are used.

(3) Third, the information and equations required to solve the problems should be in the
NCEES FE Reference Handbook. Since you are not allowed to bring in outside resource, the
Handbook and along with any information given to you in the problem should provide you with
sufficient information needed to solve the problems. It is extremely unlikely that you will need an
equation that is not given to you in the reference handbook. Thus, the handbook is an additional
resource for understanding the types of questions that could be asked. Note that the NCEES FE

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Reference Handbook contains extraneous information for the Other Disciplines FE exam, since
the same resource is used across all tested disciplines. To narrow down the relevant topics, the
handbook was cross referenced with the NCEES Other Disciplines FE outline mentioned in the
last section. Lastly, the solution may still require a variation of the equations in the reference
handbook. Therefore it is very important to understand how to use these equations, as well as
the variables and the units that the equations require.

(4) The F.E. Exam tests the background engineering concepts and skills for a practicing
General Engineer and not the derivation of the topic or concept. The exam is intended to
prove that the test taker is minimally competent to practice as an engineer in training and has the
basic understanding of General Engineering principles. This background knowledge is necessary
for the practicing engineer to understand how engineering concepts and skills are applied in the
field. Therefore, the exam is less concerned with theory and more with how these concepts and
skills can be applied. For example, the F.E. exam is less interested with the derivation of angular
momentum equations and more with how to solve for resultant forces or final velocity conditions.

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In summary, this book is intended to teach the necessary skills and concepts to develop a
minimally competent, practicing General Engineer in Training, capable of passing the F.E. exam.
This book and the sample exam do this through the following means:

(1) Teaching common skills, principles, and concepts in the General Engineering field.

(2) Providing sample problems that can be completed in roughly 2-3 minutes per problem.

(3) Teaching how to use and apply the equations in the NCEES FE Reference Handbook.
Also teaching the underlying concept behind the equations in the book.

(4) Teaching the application of the skill and concept for an engineer in training.

1.3 UNITS
The units that are used in the F.E. Exam are the International System of Units (SI) and the
United States Customary System Units (USCS). The equations in the NCEES FE Reference
Handbook are more generic and does not necessarily differentiate between SI or USCS units.
Therefore, it is very important, especially with the USCS problems, to make sure all necessary
conversion factors are used and that the units cancel out to the unit of your desired final answer.
Be aware of the use of the gc conversion factor in USCS problems. See the fluids section for an
explanation of the gc term.

2.0 DISCLAIMER
In no event will Engineering Pro Guides be liable for any incidental, indirect, consequential,

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punitive or special damages of any kind, or any other damages whatsoever, including, without
limitation, those resulting from loss of profit, loss of contracts, loss of reputation, goodwill, data,
information, income, anticipated savings or business relationships, whether or not Engineering
Pro Guides has been advised of the possibility of such damage, arising out of or in connection
with the use of this document or any referenced documents and/or websites.

This book was created on the basis of determining an independent interpretation of the
minimum required knowledge and skills of an engineer in training. In no way does this
document represent the National Council of Examiners for Engineers and Surveying views or
the views of any other professional engineering society.

3.0 HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

This book is organized into the topics as designated by the NCEES. These topics include:

• Section 0.0: Introduction

• Section 1.0: Mathematics

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 • Section 2.0: Probability and Statistics
• Section 3.0: Chemistry
• Section 4.0: Instrumentation and Controls
• Section 5.0: Engineering Ethics and Societal Impacts
• Section 6.0: Safety, Health and Environment
• Section 7.0: Engineering Economics
• Section 8.0: Statics
• Section 9.0: Dynamics
• Section 10.0: Strength of Materials
• Section 11.0: Materials
• Section 12.0: Fluid Mechanics
• Section 13.0: Basic Electrical Engineering
• Section 14.0: Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer

First, it is recommended that the engineer in training gather the NCEES FE Reference Handbook.

Second, proceed through the book in the order designated. Go through and first read the material
of the section, then complete the practice problems designated for that section. If you have
trouble with the practice problems, review the material and then read the solutions. These
problems are meant to practice the application of the skill or concept presented in the section.
The problems are exam difficulty level.

Finally, set aside a five-hour twenty-minute block of uninterrupted time to complete a sample
exam. Gather the NCEES FE Reference Handbook and calculator and create a test-like
environment. Set a timer and proceed to take the sample exam, which can be purchased
separately. Remember that the exam is around 50-60 problems each for the first and second
sessions and does not encompass all the possible items that can appear on an exam, but it should
give you an idea of your level of readiness for the exam.

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4.0 PRACTICE EXAM TIPS
Engineering Pro Guides practice exam problems can be used in multiple ways, depending on
where you are in your study process. If you are at the beginning or middle, it can be used to
test your competency, gain an understanding and feel for the test format, and help to highlight
target areas to study. If you are at the end, it can be used to determine your preparedness for
the real exam. Remember that the questions are a sample of the many topics that may be
tested and are limited to fit a full exam length and therefore is not comprehensive of all
concepts. Also the practice exam problems are split up throughout the entire book.

Because the exam is written to be similar to the difficulty and format of the NCEES exam, it is
recommended that the test be completed in one sitting and timed for two hours forty minutes to
simulate half of the real exam. This will give you a better indication of your status of preparation
for the exam. If you are at the ending of your studying, it is recommended to couple this exam
with the second section to simulate the full exam test day.

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Review the exam day rules and replicate the environment for the real test as much as possible,
including the type of calculator you may use and the acceptable references. Keep a watch or
clock next to you to gauge your pace for 55 questions in 2 hours 40 minutes.

Based on the NCEES website, the following are general rules for exam day.

Allowed:

1. ID used for admission

2. Approved calculator (2 recommended for backup. The backup will be stored
with your personal items)
3. Eyeglasses
4. Light sweater or jacket
5. Test center locker key
6. Test center provided booklet and marker
7. Test center comfort aids, approved upon visual inspection. See the Pearson
VUE Comfort Aid List on the Pearson VUE website (includes medicine –
inhaler, aspirin not in bottle, eye drops, cough drops, etc. and mobility
devices – crutches, wheelchairs, etc. Tissues and earplugs must be provided
by the test center.)
8. Religious head coverings

Prohibited:

1. Cell phones
2. Electronic Devices (other than approved calculator)
3. Watches
4. Wallets and Purses
5. Hats and hoods

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6. Bags
7. Coats
8. Books
9. Pens, Pencils, Erasers
10. Food, Drinks
11. Weapons
12. Tobacco
13. Eyeglass cases
14. Scratch Paper (all writing devices are provided)

Most test centers will have lockers for you to store your personal items. For additional
references on exam day policies, exam day processes, and items to bring on your exam
day, review the NCEES Examinee Guide:

http://ncees.org/exams/examinee-guide/

For best use of your time, answer the questions that you know first and return to the questions
that you are unfamiliar with later. On the computer based test, you are able to bookmark the
answers you may want to come back to later. Once all the known questions are answered, go

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through the test again and attempt to answer the remaining questions by level of difficulty. If
time allots, review your answers.

If you are stuck on a question, seek the following avenues.

1. NCEES FE Reference Handbook: It is important to understand the NCEES FE

Reference Handbook. During times of uncertainty, this will likely lead you to your
answers. Determine the key concept that is being asked in the question and refer to this
reference book. Remember that the reference is searchable, so you will able to do a
search by keyword (Ctrl+F). Additional tips on this resource is discussed in the next
section.

2. Process of Elimination: In most questions, there are only four possible choices for each
question. Ask yourself if there is an answer that does not make sense and eliminate it.
Further narrow down the answer that are derived from equations or concepts that you
know are not right and are instead meant to deceive the test taker. See if there are
answers that are similar or separated by something like a conversion error. This may be
an indication that the correct equation was used.

3. Educated Guess: Remember that there is no penalty for wrong answers. Hopefully with
the process of elimination you are able to narrow down as many answers as possible
and are able to create an educated guess.

4. If the time is almost up and there are still unanswered questions remaining, determine
whether it makes sense to check for mistakes on the problems you do know how to
solve, or to tackle the unanswered problems.

Typical Exam Verbiage/Design:

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1. Most Nearly: Due to rounding differences, the exam answers may not match yours
exactly and in fact may not even closely resemble your answer. NCEES uses the term
“most nearly” to test your confidence in your solution. When the question prompts you
with “most nearly”, choose the answer that most closely matches yours, whether it be
greater than or lesser to your value.

2. Irrelevant Information: The exam is intended to test your overall understanding of

concepts. At times the question will include unnecessary information that is meant to
misdirect you.

3. Deceiving Answers: NCEES wants to know that you are able to determine the
appropriate methods for the solutions. There are answers that were intentionally
produced from wrong equations to mislead the test taker. For example, you may forget
a 1/2 in the formula, KE = (1/2)MV2 and there would be two answers each off by a factor
of 1/2.

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 4. Do Not Overanalyze: The exam questions are meant to be completed in less than 3
minutes. Therefore, they are intended to be written as straight forward as possible. Do
not be tempted to overanalyze the meaning of a question. This will only lead you down
the wrong path.

Review the Solutions:

Once the sample test is completed, grade your results. Measure your aptitude in speed,
concept comprehension, and overall score. If you score is above the 75% range then you are in
good shape. This 75% score is only applicable if you have prepared completely for the exam. If
you are just starting out, then do not be worried about a low score. This number is also just a
range; there is no finite score to determine passing the test. Instead, NCEES calibrates the
results. See this page http://ncees.org/exams/scoring-process/ for a better understanding of
how NCEES grades the scores.

Review the answers that you got wrong and use the solutions as a learning tool on how to
address these types of problems. Compare the types of questions you are missing with the
NCEES outline of topics and determine where you should focus your studying. Finally repeat as
many practice problems as you can to get a better grasp of the test and to continually improve
your score.

5.0 NCEES FE REFERENCE HANDBOOK

As previously mentioned, the NCEES FE Reference Handbook is the only reference material
you will have during the exam. Therefore, it is very important to use this reference book when
doing practice problems. You should become familiar with the layout of the book, how to apply

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the equations, what the variables mean, what units the equations are in, and where to find
common constants, tables, and graphs. The NCEES FE Reference Handbook can be
purchased as a hardcopy on the NCEES website or downloaded a free pdf of the latest version
from your MyNCEES account. I would recommend studying from the pdf to become familiar
with using the reference book electronically with the search (Ctrl+F) options. The index will not
be provided during the real exam, but the table of contents bookmarks will be provided. When
studying, notice how the Handbook is organized and how it is broken out by subject, then by
discipline. Take some time go browse through the entire reference handbook to see where
different equations are located. Realize that some of the Other Disciplines FE questions may
overlap with other disciplines, like Civil, Mechanical and Electrical.

5.1 UNIT CONVERSION

The first section of the NCEES FE Reference Handbook has a list of typical unit conversions as
well as common constants, such as the universal gas constant, gravity, Stefan-Boltzmann
constant.

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5.2 TABLES AND GRAPHS
It is important to be able to quickly navigate through the NCEES FE Reference Handbook and
know where the common tables are used across multiple subjects.

The following are examples of common tables or graphs that you should be aware of.

• Hazard Assessment Diamond, GHS Pictograms – Safety

• Trigonometric Identities, Derivatives/Integrals – Mathematics
• Probability Distribution Tables – Engineering Probability and Statistics
• Periodic Table - Chemistry
• Area Moment of Inertia & Centroid – Statics
• Mass Moment of Inertia & Centroid – Dynamics
• Modulus of Elasticity – Material Properties
• Metal Densities – Material Properties
• Coefficient of Thermal Expansion – Material Properties
• Beam Deflection – Mechanics of Materials
• Steam Tables – Thermodynamics
• Specific Heat Capacities – Thermodynamics
• Z-factor chart – Thermodynamics
• Critical temperatures and pressures for gases – Thermodynamics
• Water Properties – Fluid Mechanics
• Moody Diagram/Roughness Coefficients – Fluid Mechanics
• Drag Coefficients – Fluid Mechanics
• Hazen-Williams Coefficients – Civil Engineering
• Beam Analysis (additional) – Civil Engineering

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• Buckling – Civil Engineering
• Mechanical Application – Mechanical Engineering

6.0 PAST EXAMS

6.1 PASS RATES ON SURVEY VS. NCEES
The NCEES website indicates that 75% of Other Disciplines FE test takers pass the exam. These
pass rates only include first time test takers that have attended an accredited engineering program
and took the test within 12 months of graduation.

6.2 ESTIMATED CUT SCORE

Since the exam is weighted, the cut score is not clearly defined and is never posted by NCEES.
The general online consensus is that the passing rate is about 60% correct. Our goal with this

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book is to get you to a score of at least 70%. You should be able to obtain at least this amount
to increase your confidence of passing.

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 1 - Mathematics

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 Section 1.0 – Mathematics
Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 2
2.0 Analytic Geometry & trigonometry ..................................................................................... 3
2.1 Find Line Equation Given Two Points ............................................................................ 3
2.2 Parallel and Perpendicular Lines .................................................................................... 4
2.3 Distance Between Two Points ........................................................................................ 5
2.4 Logarithmic Equations .................................................................................................... 6
2.5 Natural Logarithmic Equations ....................................................................................... 7
2.6 Trigonometry .................................................................................................................. 7
2.6.1 Right Angle Equations ............................................................................................. 7
2.6.2 Law of Sines & Cosines Equations ......................................................................... 8
2.6.3 Trigonomic Identities ............................................................................................... 9
3.0 Differential Equations ......................................................................................................... 9
3.1 Separable Differential Equations .................................................................................... 9
3.2 Linear Differential Equations ........................................................................................ 11
3.2.1 Homogeneous ....................................................................................................... 11
3.2.2 Non-Homogeneous ............................................................................................... 14
3.2.3 Application ............................................................................................................. 17
3.3 Laplace Transforms ...................................................................................................... 17

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3.3.1 Laplace Transform Pairs ....................................................................................... 22
3.3.2 Laplace Properties ................................................................................................ 23
4.0 Numerical Methods .......................................................................................................... 28
4.1 Approximations ............................................................................................................. 28
4.2 Precision Limits ............................................................................................................ 28
4.3 Error Propagation ......................................................................................................... 28
4.4 Taylor Series ................................................................................................................ 30
4.5 Newton’s Method .......................................................................................................... 32
4.6 Numerical Integration ................................................................................................... 33
5.0 Linear Algebra .................................................................................................................. 36
5.1 Linear Equations ........................................................................................................... 36
5.2 Matrices ........................................................................................................................ 37
5.3 Vector Analysis ............................................................................................................. 39

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 5.3.1 Rectangular Form .................................................................................................. 39
5.3.2 Polar Form ............................................................................................................. 40
5.3.3 Converting Polar and Rectangular Forms - Calculator .......................................... 41
5.3.4 Vector Mathematical Operations ........................................................................... 42
5.4 Dividing Polynomials .................................................................................................... 44
6.0 Single Variable Calculus .................................................................................................. 45
6.1 Derivatives .................................................................................................................... 45
6.1.1 First Order Partial Derivatives ............................................................................... 46
6.1.2 Second Order Partial Derivatives .......................................................................... 46
6.2 Integrals ........................................................................................................................ 47
7.0 Practice Exam Problems .................................................................................................. 49
7.1 Practice Problem 1 – Calculus ..................................................................................... 49
7.2 Practice Problem 2 – Calculus ..................................................................................... 49
7.3 Practice Problem 3 - Calculus ...................................................................................... 50
7.4 Practice Problem 4 – Calculus ..................................................................................... 50
7.5 Practice Problem 5 – Calculus ..................................................................................... 51
7.6 Practice Problem 6 – Calculus ..................................................................................... 51
7.7 Practice Problem 7 – Differential Equations ................................................................. 52
7.8 Practice Problem 8 – Calculus ..................................................................................... 52
8.0 Practice Exam Problems .................................................................................................. 53
8.1 Solution 1 – Calculus .................................................................................................... 53

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8.2 Solution 2 – Calculus .................................................................................................... 53
8.3 Solution 3 - Calculus ..................................................................................................... 53
8.4 Solution 4 - Calculus ..................................................................................................... 54
8.5 Solution 5 - Calculus ..................................................................................................... 54
8.6 Solution 6 - Calculus ..................................................................................................... 55
8.7 Solution 7 – Differential Equations ............................................................................... 55
8.8 Solution 8 – Calculus .................................................................................................... 56

1.0 INTRODUCTION
Mathematics accounts for approximately 8 to 12 questions on the Other Disciplines FE exam.
The topics covered in this section include Analytic Geometry, Trigonometry, Differential
Equations, Numerical Methods, Linear Algebra and Single Variable Calculus. At first glance,
these topics seem very vast and daunting. But you should not be worried because you will most

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likely only need to know the equations that are shown in the NCEES FE Reference Handbook as
they relate to General Engineering.

Section 1.0 Mathematics (8 to 12 Problems)

NCEES
Outline Engineering Pro Guides
Value
Section 1.0 Introduction
1A Section 2.0 Analytic Geometry & Trigonometry
1B Section 3.0 Differential Equations
Numerical Methods (e.g., algebraic equations, roots of equations,
1C Section 4.0
approximations, precision limits, convergence)
1D Section 5.0 Linear Algebra (e.g., matrix operations)
1E Section 6.0 Single Variable Calculus
Section 7.0 Practice Exam Problems

2.0 ANALYTIC GEOMETRY & TRIGONOMETRY

Analytic geometry uses algebra to characterize various geometric objects such as shapes, lines
and points.

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Figure 1: The slope of a line can be found with the difference between the y-values and x-values
of two points.

2.1 FIND LINE EQUATION GIVEN TWO POINTS

If you are given two points, then you can follow the process below to produce an equation for the
line.

First solve for slope, “m”, where the slope is equal to the change in y over the change in x.
𝑦 𝑦
𝑚
𝑥 𝑥

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Next, solve for the y-intercept, “b”, using the following equation for a line. To solve for “b”, plug in
the value of the slope, “m”, and one of the (x, y) points along the line. Then solve for the y-
intercept, “b”.

𝑦 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑝𝑡 𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑒 → 𝑦 𝑚𝑥 𝑏

𝑦 𝑦
𝑦 ∗𝑥 𝑏
𝑥 𝑥

Finally, replace “b” in the equation and you will have found the equation of the line.

2.2 PARALLEL AND PERPENDICULAR LINES

Another skill you should have is being able to calculate the equation for lines that are parallel or
perpendicular to each other. Parallel lines share the same slope.

𝑃𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑙 𝐿𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠 → 𝑚 𝑚

You can then find the equation of one line that is parallel to another by determining the offset
between the lines. Add the offset to the y-intercept of one line to find the equation of the other
line.

𝐿𝑖𝑛𝑒 1 → 𝑦 𝑚 𝑥 𝑏

𝐿𝑖𝑛𝑒 2 → 𝑦 𝑚 𝑥 𝑏 𝑜𝑓𝑓𝑠𝑒𝑡 ; 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑚 𝑚

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Figure 2: Parallel lines have the same slope and never intersect.

Perpendicular lines have inverse, negative slopes.

1
𝑃𝑒𝑟𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑐𝑢𝑎𝑙 𝐿𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠 → 𝑚
𝑚

Find the slope of the perpendicular line, then solve for the new y-intercept, “b2”, by substituting
one of the (x, y) coordinates on the line.

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7.0 PRACTICE EXAM PROBLEMS

7.1 PRACTICE PROBLEM 1 – CALCULUS

What is the integral of the function below from 0 to 90 degrees?

10 ∗ sin 𝜃 𝑑𝜃

(a) 0

(b) 1

(c) 𝜋

(d) 10

7.2 PRACTICE PROBLEM 2 – CALCULUS

What is the integral of the function below from 1 to 2?

ln 𝑥 𝑑𝑥

(a) 0.39

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(b) 1.01

(c) 1.77

(d) 2.00

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8.0 PRACTICE EXAM PROBLEMS
8.1 SOLUTION 1 – CALCULUS
Use the integral equations from the NCEES FE Reference Handbook.

10 ∗ sin 𝜃 𝑑𝜃 10 cos 𝜃 |

10 ∗ cos 90deg 10 ∗ cos 0 deg

0 10 ∗ 1 10

The correct answer is most nearly, (d) 10.

8.2 SOLUTION 2 – CALCULUS

ln 𝑥 𝑑𝑥 𝑥 ln 𝑥 1 |

2 ∗ ln 2 1 1 ∗ ln 1 1

0.614 1 0.386

The correct answer is most nearly, (a) 0.39

8.3 SOLUTION 3 - CALCULUS

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First, integrate the function.

1
𝑣 𝑡 𝑑𝑡 𝑡 ∗ 10 2𝑡
2

𝑥 𝑡 𝑣 𝑡 𝑑𝑡 5𝑡 2𝑡

Then evaluate from 0 to 3 seconds.

𝑥 0 5 0 2 0 0 𝑓𝑡

𝑥 3 5 3 2 3 51 𝑓𝑡

Δ𝑥 𝑥 3 𝑥 0 51𝑓𝑡

The correct answer is most nearly (b) 50 ft.

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 2 – Probability & Statistics

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 Section 2.0 – Probability and Statistics
Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 2
2.0 Estimation .......................................................................................................................... 2
2.1 Confidence Interval ......................................................................................................... 3
3.0 Expected Value & Expected Error ...................................................................................... 5
3.1 Expected Value Binomial Random Variable ................................................................... 5
3.2 Expected Value Probability Table ................................................................................... 6
3.3 Expected Value Probability Density Function ................................................................. 7
3.4 Expected Error ................................................................................................................ 7
4.0 Sample Distributions & Sizes ............................................................................................. 7
4.1 Mean or Average ............................................................................................................ 8
4.2 Mode ............................................................................................................................... 8
4.3 Median ............................................................................................................................ 8
4.4 Geometric Mean ............................................................................................................. 8
4.5 Standard Deviation ......................................................................................................... 9
4.6 Probability Distribution Tables ........................................................................................ 9
4.6.1 Binomial Distribution .............................................................................................. 10
4.6.2 Normal Distribution ................................................................................................ 10
4.6.3 t-Distribution .......................................................................................................... 13

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4.6.4 x2-Distribution ........................................................................................................ 15
5.0 Goodness of Fit ................................................................................................................ 15
5.1 Coefficient of Determination ......................................................................................... 16
6.0 Practice Exam Problems .................................................................................................. 18
6.1 Practice Problem 1 – Binomial Distribution .................................................................. 18
6.2 Practice Problem 2 – Standard Deviation ..................................................................... 18
6.3 Practice Problem 3 – Probability Distribution................................................................ 19
6.4 Practice Problem 4 – Geometric Mean ......................................................................... 19
6.5 Practice Problem 5 – Statistics ..................................................................................... 20
6.6 Practice Problem 6 – Normal Distribution ..................................................................... 20
7.0 Practice Exam Solutions .................................................................................................. 21
7.1 Solution 1 – Binomial Distribution ................................................................................. 21
7.2 Solution 2 – Standard Deviation ................................................................................... 21

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 7.3 Solution 3 – Probability Distribution .............................................................................. 21
7.4 Solution 4 – Geometric Mean ....................................................................................... 22
7.5 Solution 5 - Statistics .................................................................................................... 22
7.6 Solution 6 – Normal Distribution ................................................................................... 23

1.0 INTRODUCTION
Probability and Statistics accounts for approximately 6 to 9 questions on the Other Disciplines
FE exam. This section focuses on the following NCEES Outline topics, Estimation, Expected
Value and Expected Error in Decision Making, Sample Distribution and Sizes and Goodness of
fit.

Probability Distribution involves applying a mathematical formula to describe the probability of a

measured variable occurring at a certain value. This is useful for characterizing the measured
output of any mechanical system property when you are taking a sample of a larger number.
For example, you measure the weight of 100 products, but this is only a sample of the 10,000
products that are produced. A probability distribution will help to characterize all 10,000
products.

Regression curve fitting involves measuring a variable as a function of another variable, then
plotting the data points and assigning a mathematical formula to approximate the function. This
is useful in predicting how a change in one variable will affect another.

Section 2.0 Probability and Statistics (6 to 9 Problems)

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NCEES
Outline Engineering Pro Guides
Value
Section 1.0 Introduction
2A Section 2.0 Estimation (e.g., point, confidence intervals)
2B Section 3.0 Expected value and expected error in decision making
Sample distributions and sizes (e.g., significance, hypothesis testing,
2C Section 4.0
non-normal distributions)
2D Section 5.0 Goodness of fit (e.g., correlation coefficient, standard errors, R2)
Section 6.0 Practice Exam Problems

2.0 ESTIMATION
Estimation is the process of finding the population mean. The population mean is the mean of
the entire data set. The entire data set could be all of the products produced at a plant or it
could be the entire world population. Let’s say that you wanted to find the mean height of every

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person in the world. You would not be able to measure every single person in the world, but
you could take a sample and then find the mean height of the people in that sample set. This
mean is called the sample mean or the point estimate.

𝑥̅ 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛 𝑜𝑟 𝑝𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑡 𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑒; 𝑢 𝑝𝑜𝑝𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛;

2.1 CONFIDENCE INTERVAL

The confidence interval describes the level of trust in the point estimate (sample mean) in
representing the population mean. Towards the ending of the Engineering Probability &
Statistics section of the FE Reference Handbook are the following two equations, which will be
discussed in the following two examples. These equations allow you to create a range that
corresponds to a certain level of confidence. The equation states, there is an X% confidence
that the population mean is within this range. These equations can be

Example 1: Confidence Interval of Population Mean with Normal Distribution (known population
mean)

A sample set of 10 temperature measurements of a product resulted in a sample mean of 65

and a standard deviation of 5.2. The population standard deviation is 3.1. What are the 90%
and 80% confidence intervals?

Use the following equation to determine the confidence interval.

𝜎 𝜎
𝑥̅ 𝑍 𝑢 𝑥̅ 𝑍
√𝑛 √𝑛

𝜎 𝑝𝑜𝑝𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑑𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛, 𝑛 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑠;

𝑍 ⁄ 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑏𝑎𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑛𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑙 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑏𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛

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You will need to either go to the normal distribution table and navigate to the W(x) column or on
the next page from the above equation is the following table. These values tell you the number
of standard deviations from the population mean in the positive and negative direction and the
corresponding probability that a value will be in that range.

Probability W(x) x (-x to x)

Confidence
Za/2 (from Normal # of standard
Interval
Distribution Table) deviations
80% 1.2816 0.8 1.2816
90% 1.6449 0.9 1.6449
95% 1.96 0.95 1.96
96% 2.0537 0.96 2.0537
98% 2.3263 0.98 2.3263
99% 2.5758 0.99 2.5758

For an 80% confidence interval the equation results in the following range.

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 3 – Chemistry

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 Section 3.0 – Chemistry
Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 2
1.1 Molarity & Molality .......................................................................................................... 2
1.2 Chemical Substances, Compounds & Elements ............................................................ 3
1.2.1 Periodic Table of Elements ..................................................................................... 3
1.2.2 Chemical Compounds ............................................................................................. 7
1.3 Chemical Heats .............................................................................................................. 9
2.0 Electrochemistry ............................................................................................................... 10
2.1 Galvanic Cell (Battery) .................................................................................................. 10
2.2 Balancing Oxidation-Reduction Reactions ................................................................... 13
2.3 Corrosion ...................................................................................................................... 15
2.3.1 Oxidation ............................................................................................................... 16
2.3.2 Galvanic Series ..................................................................................................... 18
2.3.3 Corrosion Protection .............................................................................................. 19
2.4 Nernst Equation ............................................................................................................ 20
3.0 Acids & Bases .................................................................................................................. 22
3.1 Measuring pH ............................................................................................................... 22
4.0 Chemical Reactions ......................................................................................................... 22
4.1 Stoichiometry & Equilibrium .......................................................................................... 23

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4.2 Reversible Reactions .................................................................................................... 24
4.3 Bioconversion ............................................................................................................... 25
5.0 Practice Exam Problems .................................................................................................. 27
5.1 Practice Problem 1 – Oxidation & Reduction ............................................................... 27
5.2 Practice Problem 2 – Oxidation & Reduction ............................................................... 27
5.3 Practice Problem 3 – Acids & Bases ............................................................................ 28
5.4 Practice Problem 4 – Acids & Bases ............................................................................ 28
5.5 Practice Problem 5 – Chemical Reactions ................................................................... 28
5.6 Practice Problem 6 – Chemical Reactions ................................................................... 29
5.7 Practice Problem 7 – Chemical Reactions ................................................................... 29
5.8 Practice Problem 8 – Chemical Reactions ................................................................... 29
6.0 Solutions .......................................................................................................................... 30
6.1 Solution 1 – Oxidation & Reduction .............................................................................. 30

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 6.2 Solution 2 – Oxidation & Reduction .............................................................................. 30
6.3 Solution 3 – Acids & Bases .......................................................................................... 31
6.4 Solution 4 – Acids & Bases .......................................................................................... 31
6.5 Solution 5 – Chemical Reactions .................................................................................. 32
6.6 Solution 6 – Chemical Reactions .................................................................................. 32
6.7 Solution 7 – Chemical Reactions .................................................................................. 33
6.8 Solution 8 – Chemical Reactions .................................................................................. 34

1.0 INTRODUCTION
Chemistry accounts for approximately 5 to 8 questions on the Other Disciplines FE exam.
This section covers oxidation, reduction, acids, bases and chemical reactions. This book makes
the assumption that you have taken a college/university, so it will not teach you all of the basics
of chemistry. It will only teach you what you need to know for the FE exam. The FE reference
handbook provides insight into what you need to know for the FE exam. The handbook has a
section called Chemistry & Biology, so you will have to filter out the biology information from this
section. The handbook shows the periodic table, pH equations, bioconversion equations and
some basic definitions. The chemistry/biology section in the handbook also has a list of
electrochemistry half reactions. There are some topics in the handbook that are for the Chemistry
FE exam and not covered in the Other Disciplines FE exam. These topics include the organic
chemistry topic.

Section 3.0 Chemistry (5 to 8 Problems)

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NCEES
Outline Engineering Pro Guides
Value
Section 1.0 Introduction
3A Section 2.0 Oxidation and reduction (e.g., reactions, corrosion control)
3B Section 3.0 Acids and bases (e.g., pH, buffers)
3C Section 4.0 Chemical reactions (e.g., stoichiometry, equilibrium, bioconversion)
Section 5.0 Practice Exam Problems

1.1 MOLARITY & MOLALITY

The NCEES FE Reference handbook has some basic definitions that you should be familiar with
and should be able to use to solve the problems.

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Molality is a property of a solution and is defined as the number of moles of solute per mass of
solvent. The solute is the substance that dissolves. The solvent is the substance that the solute
dissolves into. Dissolving the solute into the solvent will create a solution. The SI units which are
the units that you will use on the FE exam for Chemistry is moles per kilogram. Molality is more
often used for concentration rather than molarity, because the volume can change as a function
of temperature and pressure. The mass of the solution will remain constant.

Molarity is a property of a solution and is defined as the number of moles of the solute per volume
of the solvent. The units used for molarity are moles per liter.

As an example, please see the calculations for molarity and molality.

Given a solution of HCL dissolved in 2 liters of water. The concentration of the solution is 100
mg/L of HCl.
𝑔 𝑔 𝑔 𝑚𝑔
𝐹𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑟 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝐻𝐶𝑙 → 𝐻 1 & 𝐶𝑙 35.5 → 𝐻𝐶𝑙 → 36.5 → 36,500
𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝑚𝑜𝑙
𝑚𝑔
𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝑜𝑓 𝐻𝐶𝑙 100 𝑚𝑜𝑙
𝐹𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑀𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑦 → 𝐿 0.00274 2.74 𝑥 10 𝑀
𝐿𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝐻 𝑂 36,500 𝑚𝑔 𝐿
𝑚𝑜𝑙
𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑚𝑠
𝐹𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑊𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑀𝑎𝑠𝑠 → 𝜌 1000 ∗ 2 𝐿𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠 2,000 𝑔 2 𝑘𝑔
𝐿𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠
𝑚𝑜𝑙
𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝑜𝑓 𝐻𝐶𝑙 0.00274 ∗2𝐿 𝑚𝑜𝑙
𝐹𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑀𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦 → 𝐿 0.00274
𝑘𝑔 𝑜𝑓 𝐻 𝑂 2 𝑘𝑔 𝑜𝑓 𝐻 𝑂 𝑘𝑔

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1.2 CHEMICAL SUBSTANCES, COMPOUNDS & ELEMENTS
A chemical substance is a matter with a consistent composition. A chemical substance can either
be a compound or an element. An element consists of one atom, which is the basic unit of matter
of an element. The periodic table of elements is provided to you in the FE Handbook and you will
need to be able to navigate this table and to be able to answer questions on this table.

1.2.1 Periodic Table of Elements

The periodic table of elements contains all of the known elements. It is important for you to
understand some of the basics of the periodic table, like the organization of the elements and
also how to read and interpret each element’s data.

The periodic table is organized from top left to right in order of the element’s atomic number.
The atomic number is the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom. The nucleus is the
center of the atom and it is where the protons and neutrons are contained. The protons and
neutrons account for the mass of the element.

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Columns: The columns are each given a number and often these columns are called groups.
The columns are labeled by a number.

Groups 1, 2 and 13-18: Each of those numbers relate to the number of valence electrons.
The valence electrons are the electrons that are on the outer orbit of the nucleus. These
valence electrons indicate the reactivity of an element. Those in groups 1, 2, 16 & 17 are
more reactive while those in 18 and 13-15 will not be as reactive. Groups 1 & 2 correspond
to having 1 & 2 valence electrons. Groups 13-18 corresponds to 3-8 valence electrons
respectively.

Groups 3-12: These groups are called the transition metals and typically will have 2
valence electronics, but it is a little bit more complicated. There is a subshell but this
discussion is outside of the scope of the FE exam.

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Figure 1: This figure shows the periodic table of elements. For the chemistry part of the FE
Other Disciplines exam, you need to be knowledgeable of this table and will need to know how
to use the values on the table to solve problems.

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 4 –Instrumentation & Controls

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 Section 4.0 – Instrumentation & Controls
Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 2
2.0 Sensors .............................................................................................................................. 3
2.1 Temperature Sensors ..................................................................................................... 3
2.2 Strain Gauge .................................................................................................................. 4
2.3 Pressure Sensors ........................................................................................................... 7
2.4 Motion Sensors ............................................................................................................... 8
2.5 pH Sensors ..................................................................................................................... 8
2.6 Chemical Constituents Sensors ................................................................................... 10
3.0 Data Acquisition ............................................................................................................... 10
3.1 Physical Sensors .......................................................................................................... 11
3.2 Transducers .................................................................................................................. 11
3.3 Filters ............................................................................................................................ 11
3.3.1 First Order Low Pass Filter .................................................................................... 11
3.3.2 First Order High Pass Filter ................................................................................... 13
3.3.3 Band-Pass Filter .................................................................................................... 14
3.3.4 Band-Reject Filter .................................................................................................. 16
3.4 Amplifiers ...................................................................................................................... 18
3.4.1 Inverted Operational Amplifier ............................................................................... 18

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3.4.2 Non-Inverted Operational Amplifier ....................................................................... 19
3.4.3 Summing Operational Amplifier ............................................................................. 20
3.4.4 Common Mode Rejection Ratio ............................................................................ 20
3.4.5 Differential Amplifier .............................................................................................. 21
3.5 Analog to Digital Conversion ........................................................................................ 22
3.5.1 Sampling ............................................................................................................... 22
4.0 Logic Diagrams ................................................................................................................ 23
4.1 Block Diagrams with Functions in Series ..................................................................... 23
4.2 Block Diagrams with Functions in Parallel .................................................................... 23
4.3 Block Diagrams with Functions with Feedback Loop ................................................... 24
5.0 Practice Exam Problems .................................................................................................. 26
5.1 Practice Problem 1 – Routh Test .................................................................................. 26
5.2 Practice Problem 2 – Thermocouple ............................................................................ 26

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 5.3 Practice Problem 3 – Block Diagram ............................................................................ 27
5.4 Practice Problem 4 – Strain Gauge .............................................................................. 27
5.5 Practice Problem 5 – Wheatstone Bridge ..................................................................... 28
5.6 Practice Problem 6 – Pressure Sensor ........................................................................ 28
5.7 Practice Problem 7 – Strain Gauge .............................................................................. 29
5.8 Practice Problem 8 - Filters .......................................................................................... 29
5.9 Practice Problem 9 - Filters .......................................................................................... 30
6.0 Solutions .......................................................................................................................... 31
6.1 Solution 1 – Routh Test ................................................................................................ 31
6.2 Solution 2 - Thermocouple ........................................................................................... 31
6.3 Solution 3 – Block Diagram .......................................................................................... 32
6.4 Solution 4 – Strain Gauge ............................................................................................ 33
6.5 Solution 5 - Wheatstone Bridge .................................................................................... 34
6.6 Solution 6 – Pressure Sensor ....................................................................................... 34
6.7 Solution 7 – Strain Gauge ............................................................................................ 34
6.8 Solution 8 – Filters ........................................................................................................ 35
6.9 Solution 9 – Filters ........................................................................................................ 36

1.0 INTRODUCTION
Instrumentation and Controls accounts for approximately 4 to 6 questions on the Other

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Disciplines FE exam. This section covers the following topics, sensors, block diagrams, system
response and measurement uncertainty. In the sensors topic, you must be familiar with the
types of sensors that are used to measure, strain, temperature and pressure, since these are
the properties that are most commonly used in mechanical engineering, unlike the pH and
chemical sensors which are also shown in the NCEES FE Reference Handbook. Block
diagrams are used to analyze a control system that consists of different functions in graphical
format. You must be able to read and simplify these block diagrams for the FE exam. The
system response topic focuses on how control systems respond to various inputs like step,
ramp and parabolic inputs. This topic will teach you how to determine if a control system will be
stable with the Routh test and how to determine the response error.

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 Section 4.0 Instrumentation and Controls (4 to 6 Problems)

NCEES
Outline Engineering Pro Guides
Value
Section 1.0 Introduction
Sensors (e.g., temperature, pressure, motion, pH, chemical
4A Section 2.0
constituents)
Data acquisition (e.g., logging, sampling rate, sampling range,
4B Section 3.0 filtering, amplification, signal interface, signal processing,
analog/digital [A/D], digital/analog [D/A], digital)
4C Section 4.0 Logic diagrams
Section 5.0 Practice Exam Problems

2.0 SENSORS
The sensors that you need to know for the FE exam are those sensors that convert a physical
measurement into an electrical signal. Typically, the physical measurement changes a circuit’s
resistance, which in turn changes the measured voltage, assuming that current remains
constant. Others change the voltage directly, like in a thermocouple.

2.1 TEMPERATURE SENSORS

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There are two main types of temperature sensors that you need to know for the FE exam, (1)
Thermocouple and (2) Resistance Temperature Detector.

The thermocouple uses a composite of two dissimilar metals that creates a voltage as a function
of temperature. As the temperature increases, the thermoelectric effect occurs and this effect
creates a voltage difference between the two sides of the composite. There are wires that are
connected to the opposite sides of the composite that measure the voltage. The voltage
increases as the temperature of the composite temperature increases.

The resistance temperature detector works off the basic concept that as a metal increases in
temperature its resistance decreases. Thus if the current is maintained constant, then the
voltage drop through a metal will decrease as the resistance increases, which increases when
the temperature decreases. When the temperature increases, the resistance decreases, which
decreases the voltage drop.

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Figure 1: In a resistance temperature sensor, the metal element becomes more conductive as
its temperature increases. This reduces the resistance which decreases the voltage drop.

2.2 STRAIN GAUGE

A strain gauge is similar to the resistance temperature detector. A strain gauge consists of a
foil-like element with a circuit running through it. This element is placed on a component that
will undergo strain. As the component lengthens, the strain gauge will lengthen as well. This
will cause the circuit wires within the strain gauge to become narrow, which will increase the
resistance of the strain gauge.

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Figure 2: A strain gauge will measure the change in length of a component by measuring the
change in resistance of the wires within the strain gauge.

The wires are connected to a Wheatstone bridge to measure the change in resistance. The
change in resistance will correspond to a change in length of the component. This change in
length can then be used to calculate strain. The ratio between the change in length of the strain
gauge and the measured change in resistance is shown as the gauge factor. This gauge factor
is pre-measured for each type of strain gauge. Typically the gauge factor is around 2.

∆𝑅 ∆𝑅
𝑅 𝑅
𝐺𝑎𝑢𝑔𝑒 𝐹𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟 𝐺
∆𝐿 𝜀
𝐿

𝜀 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛; ∆𝑅 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 Ω ; 𝑅 𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 Ω

∆𝐿 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ 𝑚 ; 𝑅 𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ 𝑚 ; 𝜀 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛

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 Impacts
5 – Engineering Ethics & Societal

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 Section 5.0 – Ethics and Professional Practice
Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 2
1.1 Codes of Ethics .............................................................................................................. 2
1.2 Public Protection Issues ................................................................................................. 3
1.3 Intellectual Property ........................................................................................................ 3
1.3.1 Copyrights ............................................................................................................... 4
1.3.2 Patents .................................................................................................................... 4
1.3.3 Trade Secrets .......................................................................................................... 4
1.3.4 Trademarks ............................................................................................................. 5
2.0 Practice Exam Problems .................................................................................................... 6
2.1 Practice Problem 1 – Codes of Ethics ............................................................................ 6
2.2 Practice Problem 2 – Agreements and Contracts........................................................... 6
2.3 Practice Problem 3 – Ethical and Legal Considerations ................................................. 7
2.4 Practice Problem 4 – Professional Liability .................................................................... 7
2.5 Practice Problem 5 – Public, Health, Safety & Welfare .................................................. 7
3.0 Solutions ................................................................................................................................. 8
3.1 Solution 1 – Codes of Ethics .......................................................................................... 8
3.2 Solution 2 – Agreements and Contracts ......................................................................... 8
3.3 Solution 3 – Ethical and Legal Considerations ............................................................... 8

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3.4 Solution 4 – Professional Liability ................................................................................... 8
3.5 Solution 5 – Public, Health, Safety & Welfare ................................................................ 9

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1.0 INTRODUCTION
Ethics and Professional Practice accounts for approximately 5 to 8 questions on the Other
Disciplines FE exam. The NCEES outline provides the following topics on its outline, Codes of
Ethics, Public Protection Issues and Societal Impacts. There is no readily available or
commonly used content that covers these topics, except for what is shown on the NCEES
website and the NCEES FE Reference Handbook. In addition, the topics cover concepts that
are open for interpretation. These two facts make it very difficult to fairly test this topic.

Section 5.0 Engineering Ethics and Societal Impacts (5 to 8 Problems)

NCEES
Outline Engineering Pro Guides
Value
Section 1.0 Introduction
5A Section 2.0 Codes of ethics (e.g., identifying and solving ethical dilemmas)
5B Section 3.0 Public protection issues (e.g., licensing boards)
Societal impacts (e.g., economic, sustainability, life-cycle analysis,
5C Section 4.0
environmental, public safety)
Section 5.0 Practice Exam Problems

1.1 CODES OF ETHICS

There are a couple of things you can do to prepare for questions on ethics.

(1) The first can be found in the NCEES FE Reference Handbook. There are about 8 pages on
Ethics. This section covers the Codes of Ethics, Intellectual Property and the NCEES Model

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Law and Model Rules.

(2) The second is to read through the Model Law. The model law is published by NCEES and it
is on the NCEES website. The link is shown below. The model law has very general
regulations to govern engineering for the purposes of keeping the public safe. It is important to
note that these laws are only ideas and it is up to each authority having jurisdiction like your
State board to come up with their own laws.

NCEES Publications Website: https://ncees.org/about/publications/

Model Law Website: https://ncees.org/wp-content/uploads/Model_Law_2018.pdf

(3) You should also read through the Model rules. The model rules are published by NCEES
and it is on the NCEES website. The link is shown below. The model rules complement the
model laws. One key section in the model rules is the Rules of Professional Conduct.

Model Rules Website: https://ncees.org/wp-content/uploads/Model_Law_2018.pdf

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 6 – Safety, Health & Environment

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 Section 6.0 – Safety, Health & Environment
Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 3
2.0 Industrial Hygiene .............................................................................................................. 3
2.1 Carcinogens ................................................................................................................... 4
2.2 Toxicology ...................................................................................................................... 5
2.3 Exposure Limits .............................................................................................................. 5
2.4 Radiation Exposure ........................................................................................................ 6
2.5 Biohazards ...................................................................................................................... 7
2.6 Half-life ........................................................................................................................... 8
3.0 Basic Safety Equipment ..................................................................................................... 8
3.1 Pressure Relief Valves ................................................................................................... 8
3.2 Emergency Shutoffs ....................................................................................................... 9
3.3 Fire Prevention & Control ............................................................................................... 9
3.4 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) .......................................................................... 10
4.0 Gas Detection & Monitoring ............................................................................................. 11
4.1 Oxygen Monitoring ....................................................................................................... 11
4.2 Carbon Monoxide Monitoring ....................................................................................... 12
4.3 Carbon Dioxide Monitoring ........................................................................................... 12
4.4 Methane Monitoring & Flammability Limits ................................................................... 13

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4.5 Hydrogen Sulfide Monitoring & Toxicity Exposure Limits ............................................. 13
4.6 Radon Monitoring ......................................................................................................... 14
5.0 Electrical Safety ............................................................................................................... 14
5.1 Lockout & Tagout ......................................................................................................... 14
5.2 NFPA 70E ..................................................................................................................... 15
6.0 Confined Space Entry & Ventilation Rates ....................................................................... 15
7.0 Hazard Communications .................................................................................................. 16
7.1 GHS .............................................................................................................................. 16
7.1.1 Health Hazards ...................................................................................................... 17
7.1.2 Physical Hazards ................................................................................................... 17
7.1.3 Environmental Hazards ......................................................................................... 18
7.2 GHS Chemical Labels .................................................................................................. 19
7.3 Safety Data Sheets ....................................................................................................... 19

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8.0 Practice Exam Problems .................................................................................................. 22
8.1 Practice Problem 1 – Confined Space Entry ................................................................ 22
8.2 Practice Problem 2 – Electrical Safety ......................................................................... 22
8.3 Practice Problem 3 – Hazard Communications ............................................................ 22
8.4 Practice Problem 4 – Gas Detection & Monitoring ....................................................... 23
8.5 Practice Problem 5 – Basic Safety Equipment ............................................................. 23
8.6 Practice Problem 6 – Carcinogens ............................................................................... 23
8.7 Practice Problem 7 – Industrial Hygiene ...................................................................... 24
8.8 Practice Problem 8 – Basic Safety Equipment ............................................................. 24
8.9 Practice Problem 9 – Gas Detection & Monitoring ....................................................... 24
8.10 Practice Problem 10 – Electrical Safety ....................................................................... 25
8.11 Practice Problem 11 – Hazard Communications .......................................................... 25
9.0 Solutions .......................................................................................................................... 26
9.1 Solution 1 – Confined Space Entry ............................................................................... 26
9.2 Solution 2 – Electrical Safety ........................................................................................ 26
9.3 Solution 3 – Hazard Communications .......................................................................... 26
9.4 Solution 4 – Gas Detection & Monitoring ...................................................................... 27
9.5 Solution 5 – Basic Safety Equipment ........................................................................... 27
9.6 Solution 6 – Carcinogens ............................................................................................. 28
9.7 Solution 7 – Industrial Hygiene ..................................................................................... 29
9.8 Solution 8 – Basic Safety Equipment ........................................................................... 29

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9.9 Solution 9 – Gas Detection & Monitoring ...................................................................... 30
9.10 Solution 10 – Electrical Safety ...................................................................................... 30
9.11 Solution 11 – Hazard Communications ........................................................................ 31

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1.0 INTRODUCTION
Safety, Health & Environment accounts for approximately 6 to 9 questions on the Other
Disciplines FE exam. The Safety section in the FE Handbook contains information on safety
labels, brief descriptions of industrial hygiene topics like carcinogens, a chemical compatibility
chart, a corrosion chart, EPA standard values for intakes, vaporization of flammable liquids
equations, ergonomics, noise data, electrical safety, flammability limits tables, toxicity tables and
a few other general safety topics like risk, hazard and confined spaces.

The FE handbook does not include information on gas detection and monitoring techniques, so
it seems like that topic in this exam will focus on the flammability and toxicity tables. The exam
could also focus on general knowledge on gas detection/monitoring equipment, which will be
discussed in this section. The FE Handbook also does not include information on basic safety
equipment like pressure relief valves, emergency shutoffs, fire prevention, and personal
protective equipment. This means that the questions on this subtopic will focus on general
knowledge of the common concepts and terms. This information will also be provided in this
section.

An adjacent FE Handbook section that you will need to be familiar with is the Environmental
Engineering section. There are formulas on half-life and radiation that you may need to use.

Section 6.0 Safety, Health & Environment (6 to 9 Problems)

NCEES
Outline Engineering Pro Guides
Value
Section 1.0 Introduction
Industrial hygiene (e.g., carcinogens, toxicology, exposure limits,
6A Section 2.0
radiation exposure, biohazards, half-life)

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Basic safety equipment (e.g., pressure-relief valves, emergency
6B Section 3.0
shutoffs, fire prevention and control, personal protective equipment)
6C Section 4.0 Gas detection and monitoring (e.g., O2, CO, CO2, CH4, H2S, radon)
6D Section 5.0 Electrical safety
6E Section 6.0 Confined space entry and ventilation rates
Hazard communications (e.g., SDS, proper labeling, concentrations,
6F Section 7.0
fire ratings, safety equipment)
Section 8.0 Practice Exam Problems

2.0 INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE

Industrial hygiene is the study of predicting, recognizing, evaluating and ultimately controlling
various factors that can arise in the workplace that could cause people to get sick or hurt and
that could cause damage to the environment. This study covers carcinogens (things that cause
cancer), toxic substances, flammable substances, radioactive substances and much more.
Industrial hygiene covers air contaminants, dusts, fumes, mists, fibers and gases. It also covers

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 7 – Engineering Economics

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 Section 7.0 – Engineering Economics
Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 2
2.0 Time Value of Money ......................................................................................................... 3
2.1 Future and Present Value ................................................................................................... 3
2.2 Annual Value or Annuities ................................................................................................... 4
2.3 Equivalence Calculations ............................................................................................... 6
2.3.1 Finding Equivalent Present Value ........................................................................... 7
2.3.2 Finding Equivalent Future Value ............................................................................. 8
2.3.3 Finding Equivalent Annualized Value ...................................................................... 8
2.3.4 Finding Equivalent Rate of Return .......................................................................... 9
2.3.5 Factor Tables .......................................................................................................... 9
3.0 Cost Analysis ................................................................................................................... 10
3.1 Average Costs .............................................................................................................. 10
3.2 Incremental Costs ......................................................................................................... 11
3.3 Sunk Costs ................................................................................................................... 11
3.4 Estimating Costs ........................................................................................................... 11
3.4.1 Cost Indexes ......................................................................................................... 12
3.4.2 Capital Cost Estimation ......................................................................................... 12
3.4.3 Equipment Scaling Cost ........................................................................................ 13

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4.0 Economic Analyses .......................................................................................................... 13
4.1 Cost/Benefit Analysis .................................................................................................... 13
4.2 Break-Even Analysis .................................................................................................... 13
4.3 Minimum Cost Analysis ................................................................................................ 14
4.4 Overhead Analysis ....................................................................................................... 15
4.5 Life Cycle Analysis ....................................................................................................... 15
4.6 Simple Payback ............................................................................................................ 16
5.0 Uncertainty ....................................................................................................................... 17
5.1 Risk ............................................................................................................................... 17
5.2 Expected Value ............................................................................................................ 17
6.0 Project Selection .............................................................................................................. 18
6.1 Projects with Unequal Lives ......................................................................................... 18
6.2 Lease, Buy or Make ...................................................................................................... 18

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 6.3 Depreciation ................................................................................................................. 18
6.3.1 Straight Line................................................................................................................ 18
6.3.2 Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System (MACRS) ............................................ 19
6.4 Discounted Cash Flow .................................................................................................. 20
6.5 Decision Trees .............................................................................................................. 20
7.0 Practice Exam Problems .................................................................................................. 21
7.1 Practice Problem 1 – Economic Analyses .................................................................... 21
7.2 Practice Problem 2 – Economic Analyses .................................................................... 21
7.3 Practice Problem 3 – Economic Analyses .................................................................... 22
7.4 Practice Problem 4 – Economic Analyses .................................................................... 22
7.5 Practice Problem 5 – Economic Analyses .................................................................... 23
7.6 Practice Problem 6 – Economic Analyses .................................................................... 23
7.0 Solutions .......................................................................................................................... 24
8.1 Solution 1 – Economic Analyses .................................................................................. 24
8.2 Solution 2 – Economic Analyses .................................................................................. 24
8.3 Solution 3 – Economic Analyses .................................................................................. 25
8.4 Solution 4 – Economic Analyses .................................................................................. 26
8.5 Solution 5 – Economic Analyses .................................................................................. 27
8.6 Solution 6 – Economic Analyses .................................................................................. 27

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1.0 INTRODUCTION
Engineering Economics accounts for approximately 6 to 9 questions on the Other Disciplines FE
exam. As an engineer, you will be tasked with determining the course of action for a design.
Often times this will entail choosing one alternative instead of several other design alternatives.
You need to be able to present engineering economic analysis to your clients in order to justify
why a certain alternative is more financially sound than other alternatives. The following topics
will present only the engineering economic concepts that you need for the FE exam and does not
present a comprehensive look into the study of engineering economics. For the FE exam you are
required to know the following concepts shown in the table below. Applicable equations for these
topics can be found in the Engineering Economics section of the NCEES FE Reference
Handbook.

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 Section 7.0 Engineering Economics (6 to 9 Problems)

NCEES
Outline Engineering Pro Guides
Value
Section 1.0 Introduction
Time value of money (e.g., present worth, annual worth, future worth,
7A Section 2.0
rate of return)
7B Section 3.0 Cost analysis (e.g., incremental, average, sunk, estimating)
Economic analyses (e.g., break-even, benefit-cost, optimal economic
7C Section 4.0
life)
7D Section 5.0 Uncertainty (e.g., expected value and risk)
Project selection (e.g., comparison of projects with unequal lives,
7E Section 6.0
lease/buy/make, depreciation, discounted cash flow, decision trees)
7F Section 7.0 Practice Exam Problems

2.0 TIME VALUE OF MONEY

2.1 FUTURE AND PRESENT VALUE
Before discussing interest rates, it is important that the engineer understands that money today
is worth more than that same value of money in the future, due to factors such as inflation and
interest. This is the time value of money concept. For example, if you were given the option to
have $1,000 today or to have $1,000 ten years from now, most people will choose $1,000 today,
without understand why this option is worth more. The reason $1,000 today is worth more is
because of what could have done with that money; in the financial world, this means the amount
of interest that could have been earned with that money. If you took $1,000 today and invested

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it at 4% per year, you would have $1,040 dollars at the end of the first year.

$1,000 𝑥 1 .04 $1,040

• If you kept the $1,040 in the investment for another year, then you would have
$1,081.60.

$1,040 𝑥 1 .04 $1,081.60

• At the end of the 10 years the investment would have earned, $1,480.24.

$1,000 𝑥 1 .04 𝑥 1.04 𝑥 1.04 … … $1,000 𝑥 1.04 $1,480.24

• An important formula to remember is the Future Value (FV) is equal to the Present Value
(PV) multiplied by (1+interest rate), raised to the number of years.

𝑃𝑉 𝑥 1 𝑖 𝐹𝑉

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 8 - Statics

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 Section 8.0 – Statics
Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 3
2.0 Vector Analysis .................................................................................................................. 3
2.1 Vectors ........................................................................................................................... 4
2.1.1 Rectangular Form .................................................................................................... 4
2.1.2 Polar Form ............................................................................................................... 5
2.1.3 Converting Polar and Rectangular Forms - Calculator ............................................ 6
2.1.4 Vector Mathematical Operations ............................................................................. 7
2.2 Force .............................................................................................................................. 7
3.0 Force Systems ................................................................................................................... 7
4.0 Equilibrium of Rigid Bodies ................................................................................................ 8
4.1 Free Body Diagram ........................................................................................................ 8
4.2 Equilibrium ...................................................................................................................... 8
4.3 Springs ........................................................................................................................... 8
4.4 Pulleys and Cables ......................................................................................................... 9
4.5 Reactions ...................................................................................................................... 10
5.0 Internal Forces in Rigid Bodies ........................................................................................ 12
5.1 Trusses ......................................................................................................................... 12
5.2.1 Method of Joints .................................................................................................... 13

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5.2.2 Method of Sections ................................................................................................ 15
5.2 Frames ......................................................................................................................... 19
6.0 Area Properties ................................................................................................................ 20
6.1 First Moment of Area .................................................................................................... 20
6.2 Centroid Calculation ..................................................................................................... 21
6.3 Moments ....................................................................................................................... 22
6.3.1 Equilibrium ............................................................................................................. 22
6.3.2 Second Moment of Inertia (Area Moment of Inertia) ................................................... 23
6.4 Parallel Axis Theorem .................................................................................................. 25
6.5 Radius of Gyration ........................................................................................................ 26
7.0 Static Friction ................................................................................................................... 26
7.1 Angled Sliding Block without External Force ................................................................ 27
7.2 Angled Sliding Block with External Force ..................................................................... 27

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 7.3 Belts and Pulleys Friction ............................................................................................. 28
8.0 Free Body Diagrams ........................................................................................................ 29
9.0 Weight & Mass Computations .......................................................................................... 29
9.1 SI Units ......................................................................................................................... 29
9.2 USCS Units .................................................................................................................. 29
9.3 Example 1: Find Weight OF 1 KG ............................................................................... 30
9.4 Example 2: Find Weight of 1 LBM ............................................................................... 30
9.5 Example 3: Find Weight of 1 SLUG ............................................................................. 31
10.0 Practice Exam Problems .................................................................................................. 32
10.1 Practice Problem 1 – Balancing Moment ..................................................................... 32
10.2 Practice Problem 2 – Balancing Moment ..................................................................... 32
10.3 Practice Problem 3 – Balancing Moment ..................................................................... 33
10.4 Practice Problem 4 – Balancing Moment ..................................................................... 33
10.5 Practice Problem 5 – Truss .......................................................................................... 34
10.6 Practice Problem 6 – Truss .......................................................................................... 34
10.7 Practice Problem 7 – Concurrent Force Systems......................................................... 35
10.8 Practice Problem 8 – Static Friction ............................................................................. 35
10.9 Practice Problem 9 – Centroid ...................................................................................... 36
10.10 Practice Problem 10 – Centroid ................................................................................ 37
11.0 Solutions .......................................................................................................................... 38
11.1 Solution 1 – Balancing Moment .................................................................................... 38

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11.2 Solution 2 – Balancing Moment .................................................................................... 38
11.3 Solution 3 – Balancing Moment .................................................................................... 39
11.4 Solution 4 – Balancing Moment .................................................................................... 39
11.5 Solution 5 - Truss ......................................................................................................... 40
11.6 Solution 6 - Truss ......................................................................................................... 41
11.7 Solution 7 – Concurrent Force Systems ....................................................................... 42
11.8 Solution 8 – Static Friction ............................................................................................ 43
11.9 Solution 9 - Centroid ..................................................................................................... 44
11.10 Solution 10 - Centroid ............................................................................................... 46

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1.0 INTRODUCTION
Statics accounts for approximately 9 to 14 questions on the Other Disciplines FE exam. These
questions can cover statics, but not dynamics. The statics topic on the NCEES exam is similar
to a common statics college engineering class. Statics is the study of components at
equilibrium, which means the components are at rest or at zero acceleration. This topic
includes vectors, free body diagrams, moments, reaction forces, first moment of area, static
friction and second moment of area. These concepts and skills are used to solve problems on
pulleys, cables, springs, beams, trusses, frames, etc.

The NCEES FE Reference Handbook Statics section has some basic equations for the topics
below, but it does not explain the skills and concepts necessary to use these equations. You
should learn the skills and concepts presented in this section and go through the handbook to
confirm that you know how to use the basic equations. You may also need to know some of the
Mathematics equations like law of cosines and other trigonometry equations presented in the
Mathematics section.

Section 8.0 Statics (9 to 14 Problems)

NCEES
Outline Engineering Pro Guides
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Section 1.0 Introduction
8A Section 2.0 Vector Analysis
8B Section 3.0 Force systems (e.g., resultants, concurrent, distributed)
8C Section 4.0 Force couple systems
8D Section 5.0 Equilibrium of rigid bodies (e.g., support reactions)
8E Section 6.0 Internal forces in rigid bodies (e.g., trusses, frames, machines)

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Area properties (e.g., centroids, moments of inertia, radius of
8F Section 7.0
gyration, parallel axis theorem)
8G Section 8.0 Static Friction
8H Section 9.0 Free-body diagrams
Weight and mass computations
8I Section 10.0
(e.g., slug, lbm, lbf, kg, N, ton, dyne, g, gc)
Section 9.0 Practice Exam Problems

2.0 VECTOR ANALYSIS

As previously stated, statics is the study of mechanical components at equilibrium, which means
the components have zero acceleration or are at rest. The material presented on statics
focuses on the key equations and skills necessary to complete the possible problems within this
topic on the FE exam.

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10.0 PRACTICE EXAM PROBLEMS
10.1 PRACTICE PROBLEM 1 – BALANCING MOMENT
A beam of weight 100 lbs is supported by a tension cable. The dimensions are shown in the
diagram below. What is the tension in the cable?

(A) 100 LBS

(B) 130 LBS

(C) 160 LBS

(D) 190 LBS

10.2 PRACTICE PROBLEM 2 – BALANCING MOMENT

A beam has a weight of 450 lbs and there is a point load of 150 lbs as shown in the figure
below. What is the reaction force at point A?

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(A) 100 LBS

(B) 150 LBS

(C) 250 LBS

(D) 350 LBS

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11.0 SOLUTIONS
11.1 SOLUTION 1 – BALANCING MOMENT
This problem is solved by balancing the moment about the fulcrum. The moment about this
point must be equal to zero. The force due to gravity occurs at the center of the beam at 10 ft
from the fulcrum. The tension has a vertical component and a horizontal component. The
horizontal component is not included in the moment equilibrium equation since it does not cause
rotation.

𝑀 0

𝑀 0 100𝑙𝑏𝑠 ∗ 10𝑓𝑡 𝑇𝑠𝑖𝑛 𝜃 ∗ 12𝑓𝑡

The angle theta is found through the following equation.

10 𝑓𝑡
𝑡𝑎𝑛 𝜃 → 39.8°
12 𝑓𝑡

Insert theta and solve for T.

0 100𝑙𝑏𝑠 ∗ 10𝑓𝑡 𝑇𝑠𝑖𝑛 39.8° ∗ 12𝑓𝑡

𝑇 130 𝑙𝑏𝑠

The correct answer is most nearly, (B) 130 LBS.

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11.2 SOLUTION 2 – BALANCING MOMENT
First, balance the moment about A. The weight of the beam occurs at the center of the beam.

𝑀 0

𝑀 0 150𝑙𝑏𝑠 ∗ 4𝑓𝑡 450𝑙𝑏𝑠 ∗ 12.5𝑓𝑡 𝑅 ∗ 25𝑓𝑡

Solve for reaction at B.

150𝑙𝑏𝑠 ∗ 4𝑓𝑡 450𝑙𝑏𝑠 ∗ 12.5𝑓𝑡

𝑅 249 𝑙𝑏𝑠
25 𝑓𝑡

Next balance all the forces in the Y-direction. Since the beam is not moving or accelerating,
then the sum of the forces should be equal to zero.

0 𝑅 𝑅 𝑊𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑃𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑡 𝐿𝑜𝑎𝑑

0 𝑅 249 𝑙𝑏𝑠 450 𝑙𝑏𝑠 150 𝑙𝑏𝑠

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 9 – Dynamics

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 Section 9.0 – Dynamics, Kinematics and Vibrations
Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 3
2.0 Particle & Rigid Body Kinematics ....................................................................................... 3
3.0 Linear Motion ..................................................................................................................... 4
3.1.1 Linear Displacement ................................................................................................ 4
3.1.2 Linear Velocity ......................................................................................................... 4
3.1.3 Linear Acceleration .................................................................................................. 4
3.1.4 Projectiles ................................................................................................................ 5
4.0 Angular Motion ................................................................................................................... 5
4.1 Angular Displacement .................................................................................................... 6
4.2 Angular Velocity .............................................................................................................. 6
4.3 Angular Acceleration ...................................................................................................... 6
5.0 Mass Moment of Inertia ...................................................................................................... 7
6.0 Impulse-Momentum ........................................................................................................... 9
6.1 Newton’s Second Law for Particles ................................................................................ 9
6.2 Linear Momentum ......................................................................................................... 10
6.3 Angular Momentum ...................................................................................................... 11
6.4 Inelastic vs. Elastic Collisions ....................................................................................... 11
6.5 Coefficient of Restitution ............................................................................................... 11

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7.0 Work-Energy of Particles ................................................................................................. 13
7.1 Conservation of Energy ................................................................................................ 13
7.1.1 SI Equations .......................................................................................................... 14
7.1.2 USCS Equations ................................................................................................... 14
7.2 Work vs. Energy ........................................................................................................... 14
7.3 Vector Equations (x and y-directions) ........................................................................... 15
7.4 Rotational Motion Conservation of Energy ................................................................... 15
8.0 Dynamic Friction .............................................................................................................. 15
8.1 Horizontal Moving Block ............................................................................................... 16
8.2 Angled Sliding Block without External Force ................................................................ 17
8.3 Angled Sliding Block with External Force ..................................................................... 18
8.4 Belts and Pulleys Friction ............................................................................................. 18
9.0 Vibrations ......................................................................................................................... 19

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 9.1 Sinusoidal Functions .................................................................................................... 19
9.2 Springs ......................................................................................................................... 21
9.3 Natural Frequency ........................................................................................................ 22
10.0 Practice Exam Problems .................................................................................................. 24
10.1 Practice Problem 1 - Friction ........................................................................................ 24
10.2 Practice Problem 2 - Friction ........................................................................................ 24
10.3 Practice Problem 3 - Kinematics .................................................................................. 25
10.4 Practice Problem 4 - Kinematics .................................................................................. 25
10.5 Practice Problem 5 – Work Energy .............................................................................. 26
10.6 Practice Problem 6 – Work Energy .............................................................................. 27
10.7 Practice Problem 7 – Impulse Momentum .................................................................... 27
10.8 Practice Problem 8 – Impulse Momentum .................................................................... 28
10.9 Practice Problem 9 – Vibration ..................................................................................... 28
10.10 Practice Problem 10 - Vibration ................................................................................ 29
10.12 Practice Problem 12 – Work-Energy ......................................................................... 29
10.13 Practice Problem 13 – Kinematics ............................................................................ 30
11.0 Solutions .......................................................................................................................... 31
11.1 Solution 1 - Friction ....................................................................................................... 31
11.2 Solution 2 - Friction ....................................................................................................... 32
11.3 Solution 3 - Kinematics ................................................................................................. 33
11.4 Solution 4 - Kinematics ................................................................................................. 33

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11.5 Solution 5 – Work Energy ............................................................................................. 34
11.6 Solution 6 – Work Energy ............................................................................................. 35
11.7 Solution 7 – Impulse Momentum .................................................................................. 36
11.8 Solution 8 – Impulse Momentum .................................................................................. 36
11.9 Solution 9 – Vibration ................................................................................................... 36
11.10 Solution 10 – Vibration .............................................................................................. 37
11.12 Solution 12 – Work-Energy ....................................................................................... 38
11.13 Solution 13 - Kinematics ........................................................................................... 38

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1.0 INTRODUCTION
Dynamics, Kinematics and Vibrations accounts for approximately 9 to 14 questions on the Other
Disciplines FE exam. This section first discusses, (1) particles and (2) rigid bodies. Particles
are a single mass subject and rigid bodies consist of a collection of particles into a solid body
that does not deform. The kinematics, work, energy, impulse and momentum and kinetics
equations first focus on a single mass subject. You may be familiar with problems that had a
block moving down a hill or a ball being thrown. These types of problems covered particles.
Problems on rigid bodies are those that contain mechanical components like cams where one
part of the body moves relative to another part of the body. The Other Disciplines exam does
not seem to focus on those mechanical components.

Kinematics covers the movement, speed and acceleration of particles and rigid bodies. This
includes radial movement and movement due to gravity. Kinetics builds upon kinematics by
including force and energy, which also transitions into the work-energy topic. Lastly, this section
covers friction and impulse-momentum.

Section 9.0 Dynamics, Kinematics & Vibrations (9 to 14 Problems)

NCEES
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Section 1.0 Introduction
9A Section 2.0 Particle and rigid-body kinematics
9B Section 2.1 Linear motion (e.g., force, mass, acceleration)
9C Section 2.2 Angular motion (e.g., torque, inertia, acceleration)
9D Section 3.0 Mass moment of inertia
9E Section 4.0 Impulse and momentum (e.g., linear, angular)

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9F Section 5.0 Work, energy, and power
9G Section 8.0 Dynamic friction
9H Section 9.0 Vibrations (e.g., natural frequency)
9I Section 10.0 Practice Exam Problems

2.0 PARTICLE & RIGID BODY KINEMATICS

Kinematics type problems will be centered on finding one of these three variables, (1) the
distance traveled by an object, (2) the velocity of an object or (3) the acceleration of an object at
any given time or location. If a problem asks for one of these three variables and forces are not
involved, then most likely the solution will be found using the equations presented in the
kinematics topic.

Within the topic of kinematics you may encounter problems with either linear motion or angular
motion. Linear motion is the movement of an object within the x-y-z plane in either a straight
line or a curve. Curve type movement is typical of projectiles and straight line movement is
typical of vehicles, sliding blocks, pistons and springs. Angular motion is the circular movement

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of an object about an axis, within the x-y-z plane. This type of movement is typical of gears,
pumps, fans and any other equipment that rotates about an axis.

3.0 LINEAR MOTION

Linear motion is the movement of an object from one location to another, while angular motion
is the movement about an axis. You will need to be familiar with the three forms of linear
motion: (1) displacement, (2) velocity and (3) acceleration.

3.1.1 Linear Displacement

The first variable in linear motion is displacement.

𝑥 𝑡

𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦 → 𝑥 𝑥 𝑣𝑡; 𝑎 0;

On the FE exam, you can use the following equations to help you solve any kinematics
problems for the distance (xf) when there is constant acceleration.

Solving for Distance with Uniform Acceleration (a; Vi ; xi = 0)

1 𝑉 𝑉 𝑡 𝑉 𝑉 1
𝑥 𝑥 𝑉𝑡 𝑎𝑡 𝑥 𝑥 𝑥 𝑉𝑡 𝑎𝑡
2 2 2𝑎 2

3.1.2 Linear Velocity

The instantaneous velocity at a time (t) is the derivative of the position.

𝑑𝑥 𝑚 𝑓𝑡

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𝑣 𝑡 ; 𝑈𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑠 → 𝑜𝑟
𝑑𝑡 𝑠 𝑠

The average velocity of an object can be found by dividing the change in position over a specific
time interval.

∆𝑥
𝐴𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦
∆𝑡

On the FE exam, you can use the following equations to help you solve any kinematics
problems for the specific scenario of uniform acceleration.

Solving for Velocity with Uniform Acceleration (a; Vi ; xi = 0)

𝑉 𝑉 𝑎𝑡 2𝑥 𝑥 1
𝑉 𝑉 𝑉 𝑎𝑡 𝑉 𝑉 2𝑎𝑥
𝑡 𝑡 2

3.1.3 Linear Acceleration

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 10 – Strength of Materials

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 Section 10.0 – Strength of Materials
Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 4
2.0 Stress Types ...................................................................................................................... 4
2.1 Axial ................................................................................................................................ 7
2.2 Shear .............................................................................................................................. 8
2.3 Bending .......................................................................................................................... 8
2.4 Torsion ............................................................................................................................ 9
3.0 Combined loading–principle of superposition .................................................................. 10
4.0 Stress & Strain ................................................................................................................. 10
4.1 Stress and Strain caused by Axial Loads ..................................................................... 10
4.1.1 Strain ..................................................................................................................... 10
4.1.2 Axial Thermal Stress and Strain ............................................................................ 11
4.2 Stress and Strain caused by Bending loads ................................................................. 11
4.2.1 Section Modulus .................................................................................................... 12
4.2.2 Deflection .............................................................................................................. 13
4.3 Stress and Strain caused by Torsion ............................................................................ 13
4.3.1 Solid Circular Shafts .............................................................................................. 15
4.3.2 Tubular Circular Shafts .......................................................................................... 15
4.3.3 Shafts of Varying Diameter ................................................................................... 16

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4.3.4 Parallel Axis Theorem ........................................................................................... 16
4.3.5 Torsion Failure ...................................................................................................... 16
4.4 Stress and Strain caused by Shear .............................................................................. 17
4.4.1 Shear Stress .......................................................................................................... 17
4.4.2 Shear Strain .......................................................................................................... 17
4.4.3 Poisson’s Ratio ...................................................................................................... 18
4.5 Combined loading ......................................................................................................... 19
5.0 Shear and Moment Diagrams .......................................................................................... 19
5.1 Simple beam with a uniformly distributed load ............................................................. 21
5.2 Simple beam with a concentrated load ......................................................................... 23
5.3 Fixed end beam with a uniformly distributed load ........................................................ 25
5.4 Fixed end beam with a concentrated load .................................................................... 27
6.0 Component Analysis ........................................................................................................ 29

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 6.1 Beams .......................................................................................................................... 29
6.2 Trusses ......................................................................................................................... 30
6.2.1 Method of Joints .................................................................................................... 31
6.2.2 Method of Sections ................................................................................................ 33
6.3 Frames ......................................................................................................................... 37
6.4 Columns ....................................................................................................................... 37
6.4.1 Buckling ................................................................................................................. 37
6.4.2 Critical Buckling Load ............................................................................................ 39
7.0 Deformations .................................................................................................................... 40
7.1 Axial Load ..................................................................................................................... 41
7.2 Shear Load ................................................................................................................... 42
8.0 Stress Transformations .................................................................................................... 43
8.1 Transformation Equations ............................................................................................ 43
8.2 Principal Stresses ......................................................................................................... 43
8.3 Mohr’s Circle ................................................................................................................. 44
8.3.1 Mohr Theory - Ductile ............................................................................................ 44
8.3.2 Mohr Theory - Brittle .............................................................................................. 45
9.0 Material Failure ................................................................................................................ 46
9.1 Factor of Safety ............................................................................................................ 46
9.2 Euler Buckling ............................................................................................................... 46
9.3 Creep ............................................................................................................................ 46

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9.4 Fatigue.......................................................................................................................... 48
9.3.1 Goodman Diagram ................................................................................................ 49
9.5 Brittle Fracture .............................................................................................................. 51
9.5.1 Maximum Normal Stress Theory for Brittle Fracture ............................................. 51
9.5.2 Mohr Theory for Brittle Fracture ............................................................................ 51
9.6 Ductile Deformation ...................................................................................................... 53
9.6.1 Maximum Allowable Shear Stress Theory ............................................................ 53
9.6.2 Von Mises or Shear Energy Theory ...................................................................... 54
9.7 Stress Concentration Factors ....................................................................................... 55
10.0 Practice Exam Problems .................................................................................................. 58
10.1 Practice Problem 1 – Beam .......................................................................................... 58
10.2 Practice Problem 2 – Beam .......................................................................................... 58

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 10.3 Practice Problem 3 – Buckling ...................................................................................... 59
10.4 Practice Problem 4 – Torsion ....................................................................................... 59
10.5 Practice Problem 5 – Shear Stress .............................................................................. 60
10.6 Practice Problem 6 – Stress-Strain .............................................................................. 60
10.7 Practice Problem 7 – Strain Energy ............................................................................. 61
10.8 Practice Problem 8 – Shear and Moment Diagrams .................................................... 62
10.9 Practice Problem 9 – Shear and Moment Diagram ...................................................... 63
10.10 Practice Problem 10 – Stress Transformations ........................................................ 63
10.11 Practice Problem 11 – Stress from Axial Load ......................................................... 64
10.12 Practice Problem 12 - Stress from Axial Load .......................................................... 64
10.13 Practice Problem 13 – Axial Strain ........................................................................... 65
11.0 Solutions .......................................................................................................................... 66
11.1 Solution 1 - Beam ......................................................................................................... 66
11.2 Solution 2 - Beam ......................................................................................................... 67
11.3 Solution 3 – Buckling .................................................................................................... 68
11.4 Solution 4 – Torsion ...................................................................................................... 69
11.5 Solution 5 – Shear Stress ............................................................................................. 70
11.6 Solution 6 – Stress Strain ............................................................................................. 71
11.7 Solution 7 – Strain Energy ............................................................................................ 71
11.8 Solution 8 – Shear and Moment Diagrams ................................................................... 72
11.9 Solution 9 – Shear and Moment Diagram .................................................................... 73

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11.10 Solution 10 – Stress Transformations ....................................................................... 73
11.11 Solution 11 – Stress from Axial Load ........................................................................ 74
11.12 Solution 12 - Stress from Axial Load ......................................................................... 74
11.13 Solution 13 – Axial Strain .......................................................................................... 75

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1.0 INTRODUCTION
Mechanics of Materials accounts for approximately 9 to 14 questions on the Other Disciplines
FE exam. Mechanics of Materials questions basically will cover calculating the stress or strain
due to different loadings, like axial loads, bending loads, torsional loads and shear loads. In
addition, you will have to calculate the displacement, shear force and moments for beams and
the buckling forces and stresses in columns.

The equations shown in the NCEES FE Reference Handbook on Mechanics of Materials is

comprehensive and all of these equations are fairly simple and easy to use. This means that
the equations do not have any complex math. After going through this section, you should be
familiar with the different types of loadings and all the equations within the handbook and should
be able to quickly recognize when to use each equation for each problem.

Section 10.0 Strength of Materials (9 to 14 Problems)

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Section 1.0 Introduction
10A Section 2.0 Stress Types (e.g., normal, shear)
10B Section 3.0 Combined loading–principle of superposition
Stress and strain caused by axial loads, bending loads, torsion, or
10C Section 4.0
transverse shear forces
10D Section 5.0 Shear and moment diagrams
10E Section 6.0 Analysis of beams, trusses, frames, and columns
Loads and deformations (e.g., axial-extension, torque-angle of twist,

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10F Section 7.0
moment-rotation)
Stress transformation and principal stresses, including stress-based
10G Section 8.0 yielding and fracture criteria (e.g., Mohr's circle, maximum normal
stress, Tresca, von Mises)
Material failure (e.g., Euler buckling, creep, fatigue, brittle fracture,
10H Section 9.0
stress concentration factors, factor of safety, and allowable stress)
Section 10.0 Practice Exam Problems

2.0 STRESS TYPES

Stress is described as the internal force acting upon a specific cross sectional area within an
object. The equation below shows that stress is equal to the force divided by the area. The
units of stress are in “psi” or “kips” for imperial units and Megapascal for SI units.

𝐹
𝜎
𝐴

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 𝐿𝑜𝑎𝑑 𝑁
𝑆𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑃𝑎 𝜎 SI Units
𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝑚

𝐿𝑜𝑎𝑑 𝑙𝑏𝑓
𝑆𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑝𝑠𝑖 𝜎 English Units
𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝑖𝑛

You may encounter both sets of units on the FE exam, so you should be familiar with both and
should commit these conversions to memory.

SI Units Imperial Units Conversion

Megapascal(MPa) lb/in2(psi) 1 MPa = 145 psi
1 Pascal(Pa) = 1 N/m2
Kilo (103), Mega (106), Giga (109) Kip/in2(ksi) [kip = 1,000 lb] 7 MPa = 1 ksi

The strength of a material with respect to stress is the maximum stress that a material can
withstand before failing. For brittle materials, failure occurs at ultimate stress.

𝐵𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑙𝑒 → 𝜎 ;

For ductile materials, the maximum stress for a design could be the yield stress, because an
object will no longer perform to design if it passes the yield strength and becomes permanently
deformed.

𝐷𝑢𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑒 → 𝜎 ;

On the FE exam, you should be careful to make sure you use the correct maximum stress for
the correct type of material and situation. The following two graphs illustrate the difference

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between the yield stress and ultimate stress for brittle and ductile materials.

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 11 – Materials

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 Section 11.0 – Materials
Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 4
2.0 Physical Properties ............................................................................................................ 4
2.1 Density ............................................................................................................................ 4
2.2 Melting Point ................................................................................................................... 5
2.3 Optical ............................................................................................................................ 7
2.3.1 Reflectance ............................................................................................................. 7
2.3.2 Transmittance .......................................................................................................... 8
2.3.3 Absorbance ............................................................................................................. 8
2.3.3 Emittance ................................................................................................................ 8
2.4 Phase Diagrams ............................................................................................................. 8
2.4.1 Reading a Phase Diagram ...................................................................................... 9
2.4.2 Lever Rule ............................................................................................................. 10
2.4.3 Iron-Carbide Diagram ............................................................................................ 11
2.5 Phase Transformation, Equilibrium, and Heat Treating ................................................ 13
2.5.1 Annealing .............................................................................................................. 13
2.5.2 Time Temperature Transformation Graph ............................................................. 14
2.5.3 Hardening & Quenching ........................................................................................ 16
2.5.4 Tempering ............................................................................................................. 18

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3.0 Mechanical Properties ...................................................................................................... 18
3.1 Strength ........................................................................................................................ 18
3.1.1 Young’s Modulus ................................................................................................... 19
3.1.2 Elastic Limit ........................................................................................................... 19
3.1.3 Yield Strength ........................................................................................................ 19
3.1.4 Proportional Limit .................................................................................................. 20
3.1.5 Shear Modulus ...................................................................................................... 20
3.1.6 Poisson’s Ratio ...................................................................................................... 20
3.1.7 Ultimate Tensile Strength ...................................................................................... 21
3.2 Hardness ...................................................................................................................... 22
3.21 Rockwell .................................................................................................................... 23
3.2.2 Brinell .................................................................................................................... 23
4.0 Chemical Properties ......................................................................................................... 24

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 4.1 Oxidation ...................................................................................................................... 25
4.2 Galvanic Series ............................................................................................................ 27
4.3 Corrosion Protection ..................................................................................................... 28
5.0 Thermal Properties ........................................................................................................... 30
5.1 Thermal Expansion ....................................................................................................... 30
5.2 Thermal Conductivity .................................................................................................... 31
5.3 Specific Heat Capacity ................................................................................................. 32
6.0 Electrical Properties ......................................................................................................... 33
6.1 Conductivity .................................................................................................................. 34
6.2 Resistivity ..................................................................................................................... 34
6.3 Permittivity .................................................................................................................... 34
6.3.1 Capacitors ............................................................................................................. 35
6.3.2 Transmission Lines ............................................................................................... 35
6.4 Magnetic ....................................................................................................................... 36
6.4.1 Retentivity .............................................................................................................. 36
6.4.2 Coercive Force ...................................................................................................... 36
6.4.3 Reluctance ............................................................................................................ 36
6.5 Permeability .................................................................................................................. 36
6.6 Inductors ............................................................................................................................ 37
6.7 Piezoelectric ................................................................................................................. 37
7.0 Material Selection............................................................................................................. 38

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7.1 Alloys ............................................................................................................................ 38
71.1 Steel Alloys ............................................................................................................... 38
7.2 Ferrous Metals .............................................................................................................. 39
7.3 Nonferrous Metals ........................................................................................................ 39
7.4 Ductile or Brittle Behavior ............................................................................................. 39
8.0 Practice Exam Problems .................................................................................................. 40
8.1 Practice Problem 1 – Thermal Stress ........................................................................... 40
8.2 Practice Problem 2 – Modulus of Elasticity .................................................................. 40
8.3 Practice Problem 3 – Thermal Conductivity ................................................................. 41
8.4 Practice Problem 4 – Stress-Strain .............................................................................. 41
8.5 Practice Problem 5 – Stress-Strain .............................................................................. 42
8.6 Practice Problem 6 – Alloys .......................................................................................... 43

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 8.7 Practice Problem 7 – Fatigue ....................................................................................... 44
8.8 Practice Problem 8 – Fatigue ....................................................................................... 44
8.9 Practice Problem 9 – Fatigue ....................................................................................... 45
8.10 Practice Problem 10 – Poisson’s Ratio ........................................................................ 45
8.11 Practice Problem 11 – Crack Propagation ................................................................... 46
8.12 Practice Problem 12 – Crack Propagation ................................................................... 46
9.0 Solutions .......................................................................................................................... 47
9.1 Solution 1 – Thermal Stress ......................................................................................... 47
9.2 Solution 2 – Modulus of Elasticity ................................................................................. 47
9.3 Solution 3 – Thermal Conductivity ................................................................................ 48
9.4 Solution 4 – Stress-Strain ............................................................................................. 48
9.5 Solution 5 – Stress-Strain ............................................................................................. 49
9.6 Solution 6 - Alloys ......................................................................................................... 50
9.7 Solution 7 - Fatigue ...................................................................................................... 50
9.8 Solution 8 - Fatigue ...................................................................................................... 51
9.9 Solution 9 – Fatigue ...................................................................................................... 51
9.10 Solution 10 – Poisson’s Ratio ....................................................................................... 52
9.11 Solution 11 – Crack Propagation .................................................................................. 52
9.12 Solution 12 – Crack Propagation .................................................................................. 52

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1.0 INTRODUCTION
Materials accounts for approximately 8 to 12 questions on the Other Disciplines FE exam. This
section works in conjunction with Section 10 Strength of Materials.

There are a few pages on Material Properties & Processing in the NCES FE Reference
Handbook that you should be familiar with in order to pass the FE exam. However, in order to
use those pages you need to understand the concepts and skills presented in this section.

Section 11.0 Materials (8 to 12 Problems)

NCEES
Outline Engineering Pro Guides
Value
Section 1.0 Introduction
Physical (phase diagrams) properties of materials (e.g., alloy phase
11A Section 2.0
diagrams, phase equilibrium, and phase change)
11B Section 3.0 Mechanical properties of materials
11C Section 4.0 Chemical properties of materials
11D Section 5.0 Thermal properties of materials
11E Section 6.0 Electrical properties of materials
11F Section 7.0 Material selection
Section 8.0 Practice Exam Problems

2.0 PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

During the exam you will need to be able to find and use material properties to complete many

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problems. You should be very familiar with your resources and where to find these material
properties. As you go through these descriptions of the important material properties, look
through the NCEES FE Reference Handbook so you can become familiar with the available
properties and the units.

2.1 DENSITY
The density of a substance is its mass per unit volume, basically how heavy is something in one
cubic foot or one cubic meter.

𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑙𝑏𝑚 𝑙𝑏𝑚 𝑘𝑔 𝑔

𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑦, 𝜌 = , , 𝑜𝑟
𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑓𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑚 𝑐𝑚

Common Conversion Factors:

𝑙𝑏𝑚 𝑙𝑏𝑚
1 = 0.000578
𝑓𝑡 𝑖𝑛

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 𝑘𝑔 𝑔 𝑙𝑏
1 = 0.001 = 0.0624
𝑚 𝑐𝑚 𝑓𝑡

The density is typically used to calculate the overall weight of a material based on its volume.
The table below lists densities of common metals. You may find that different sources have
varying densities for metal alloys. Therefore, it is likely that the test will provide you with the
density values when referencing an alloy to avoid possible discrepancies.

Material Density (lb/in3)

Aluminum Base
Aluminum (Pure) 0.097
Aluminum 6061 0.098
Copper Base
Copper (Pure) 0.323
Cupronickel, 30% 0.323
Commercial Bronze, 90% 0.318
Bronze (Aluminum, 9%) 0.276
Yellow Brass 0.306
Naval Brass 0.304
Nickel Base
Nickel 0.321
Monel 0.305
Cast Iron/Steel Base
Gray Cast Iron 0.250
Ductile Iron 0.250
Cast Steel, 3% Carbon 0.250
Stainless Steel
304SS 0.290
316SS 0.290
Titanium

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Titanium (Pure) 0.163
Zinc
Zinc (Pure) 0.258
Other
Water 3.6x10-5
(0.0624 lb/ft3)

Specific volume is the inverse of density and is measures as a volume per unit mass.

1 𝑓𝑡 𝑚
𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑓𝑖𝑐 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒, 𝜈 = 𝑜𝑟
𝜌 𝑙𝑏 𝑘𝑔

2.2 MELTING POINT

The melting point is the temperature at which a solid will turn into a liquid at atmospheric
pressure. An alloy may have two melting points, solidus and liquidus. Solidus is the

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 12 – Fluid Mechanics

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 Section 12.0 – Fluid Mechanics
Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 4
2.0 Fluid Properties .................................................................................................................. 4
2.1 Density ............................................................................................................................ 5
2.1.1 IP Conversions ........................................................................................................ 5
2.2 Viscosity ......................................................................................................................... 6
2.3 Specific gravity ............................................................................................................... 8
2.4 Heat Capacity ................................................................................................................. 8
2.5 Specific Heat Ratio ......................................................................................................... 8
3.0 Dimensionless Numbers .................................................................................................... 9
3.1 Reynolds Number ........................................................................................................... 9
3.2 Froude Number .............................................................................................................. 9
3.3 Mach Number ............................................................................................................... 10
3.3.1 Speed of Sound ..................................................................................................... 10
4.0 Laminar & Turbulent Flow ................................................................................................ 10
4.1 Laminar Flow ................................................................................................................ 10
4.2 Turbulent Flow .............................................................................................................. 11
5.0 Fluid Statics ...................................................................................................................... 11
5.1 Pressure Due to a Static Fluid ...................................................................................... 12

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5.2 Manometers .................................................................................................................. 14
5.3 Forces on Submerged Surfaces ................................................................................... 15
5.4 Buoyancy ...................................................................................................................... 16
6.0 Energy, Impulse, Momentum ........................................................................................... 17
6.1 Energy ............................................................................................................................... 17
6.2 Impulse-Momentum ........................................................................................................... 19
7.0 Pipe & Duct Flow .............................................................................................................. 21
7.1 Reynolds Number ......................................................................................................... 21
7.2 Friction Loss – Darcy Weisbach ................................................................................... 22
7.2.1 Inner Pipe Dimensions .......................................................................................... 22
7.2.2 Flow unit conversions. ........................................................................................... 22
7.2.3 Kinematic viscosity tables of water at various temperatures ................................. 23
7.2.4 Pipe Roughness .................................................................................................... 23

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 7.2.5 Moody Diagram. .................................................................................................... 24
7.3 Friction Loss – Hazen-Williams Equation ..................................................................... 25
8.0 Open Channel Flow ......................................................................................................... 26
8.1 Reynolds Number ......................................................................................................... 27
8.2 Open-Channel .............................................................................................................. 27
8.3 Manning Equation ......................................................................................................... 28
9.0 Fluid Transport Systems .................................................................................................. 29
9.1 Series Operations ......................................................................................................... 29
9.2 Parallel Operations ....................................................................................................... 29
10.0 Flow Measurement ........................................................................................................... 29
10.1 Pitot Tube ..................................................................................................................... 29
10.2 Venturi Meter ................................................................................................................ 32
10.3 Weir .............................................................................................................................. 35
11.0 Turbomachinery ............................................................................................................... 35
11.1 Pumps .......................................................................................................................... 35
11.1.1 Pump Efficiency ..................................................................................................... 36
11.1.2 Pump Curves ......................................................................................................... 37
11.2 Fans .............................................................................................................................. 39
11.2.1 Fan Work ............................................................................................................... 39
11.2.2 Fan Efficiency ........................................................................................................ 40
11.2.3 Fan Curves ............................................................................................................ 41

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11.3 Compressors ................................................................................................................ 43
11.3.1 Compressor Work ................................................................................................. 43
11.3.2 Compressor Efficiency .......................................................................................... 43
11.4 Scaling Laws for Fans, Pumps & Compressors ........................................................... 44
11.4.1 Affinity Laws for Fans, Pumps & Compressors ..................................................... 44
11.4.2 Similarity Laws for Fans, Pumps & Compressors ..................................................... 45
11.4.3 Multiple Fans or Pumps ......................................................................................... 45
12.0 Ideal Gas Law .................................................................................................................. 49
12.1 Gay-Lussac’s Law ........................................................................................................ 49
12.2 Charles’ Law ................................................................................................................. 50
12.3 Boyle’s Law .................................................................................................................. 50
12.4 Avogadro’s Law ............................................................................................................ 50

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 12.5 Gas Constant ................................................................................................................ 51
12.6 Ideal Gas Law ............................................................................................................... 51
13.0 Real (Non-Ideal) Gas Law ................................................................................................ 51
13.1 Compressibility Factor .................................................................................................. 52
14.0 Practice Exam Problems .................................................................................................. 54
14.1 Practice Problem 1 – Viscosity ..................................................................................... 54
14.2 Practice Problem 2 – Pipe Flow ................................................................................... 54
14.3 Practice Problem 3 – Reynolds Number ...................................................................... 55
14.4 Practice Problem 4 – Pressure Drop ............................................................................ 55
14.5 Practice Problem 5 – Reynolds Number ...................................................................... 56
14.6 Practice Problem 6 – Friction Loss ............................................................................... 56
14.7 Practice Problem 7 - Buoyancy .................................................................................... 57
14.8 Practice Problem 8 – Pressure Drop ............................................................................ 57
14.9 Practice Problem 9 – Impulse Momentum .................................................................... 58
14.10 Practice Problem 10 – Impulse Momentum .............................................................. 58
14.11 Practice Problem 11 – Power and Efficiency ............................................................ 59
14.12 Practice Problem 12 – Performance Curve .............................................................. 59
14.13 Practice Problem 13 – Scaling Laws ........................................................................ 60
14.14 Practice Problem 14 – External Flow ........................................................................ 60
14.15 Practice Problem 15 – Compressible Flow ............................................................... 61
15.0 Practice Exam Solutions .................................................................................................. 62

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15.1 Solution 1 - Viscosity .................................................................................................... 62
15.2 Solution 2 – Pipe Flow .................................................................................................. 62
15.3 Solution 3 – Reynolds Number ..................................................................................... 63
15.4 Solution 4 – Pressure Drop .......................................................................................... 64
15.5 Solution 5 – Reynolds Number ..................................................................................... 65
15.6 Solution 6 – Friction Loss ............................................................................................. 66
15.7 Solution 7 - Buoyancy ................................................................................................... 66
15.8 Solution 8 – Pressure Drop .......................................................................................... 67
15.9 Solution 9 – Impulse Momentum .................................................................................. 68
15.10 Solution 10 – Impulse Momentum ............................................................................ 70
15.11 Solution 11 – Power and Efficiency .......................................................................... 71
15.12 Solution 12 – Performance Curve ............................................................................. 72

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 15.13 Solution 13 – Scaling Laws ....................................................................................... 72
15.14 Solution 14 – External Flow ...................................................................................... 72
15.15 Solution 15 – Compressible Flow ............................................................................. 73

1.0 INTRODUCTION
Fluid mechanics accounts for 12 to 18 problems on the Other Disciplines FE Exam. The topics
range from college fluid mechanics topics like fluid properties, fluid statics, energy, impulse,
momentum, internal flow, external flow and compressible flow to the topics that are more often
used in practice like incompressible flow, power, efficiency, performance curves and scaling laws
for fans, pumps and compressors. As you go through this section, you should also check the
fluids topics within the NCEES FE Reference Handbook.

Section 12.0 Fluid Mechanics (12 to 18 Problems)

NCEES
Outline Engineering Pro Guides
Value
Section 1.0 Introduction
12A Section 2.0 Fluid properties (e.g., Newtonian, non-Newtonian, liquids and gases)
Dimensionless numbers (e.g., Reynolds number, Froude number,
12B Section 3.0
Mach number)
12C Section 4.0 Laminar and turbulent flow
12D Section 5.0 Fluid statics (e.g., hydrostatic head)
12E Section 6.0 Energy, impulse, and momentum equations (e.g., Bernoulli equation)
Pipe and duct flow and friction losses (e.g., pipes, valves, fittings,
12F Section 7.0

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laminar, transitional and turbulent flow)
12G Section 8.0 Open-channel flow (e.g., Manning's equation, drag)
12H Section 9.0 Fluid transport systems (e.g., series and parallel operations)
12I Section 10.0 Flow measurement (e.g., pitot tube, venturi meter, weir)
12J Section 11.0 Turbomachinery (e.g., pumps, turbines, fans, compressors)
12K Section 12.0 Ideal gas law (e.g., mixtures of nonreactive gases)
12L Section 13.0 Real gas law (e.g., z factor)
Section 14.0 Practice Exam Problems

2.0 FLUID PROPERTIES

During the exam you will need to be able to find and use fluid properties to complete many
problems. You should be very familiar with the NCEES FE Reference Handbook and where to
find these fluid properties. As you go through these descriptions of the important fluid properties,
look through the handbook and you will see that the only fluids mentioned in the handbook with
all of these properties are air and water. This should give you an indication that most of the

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 13 – Basic Electrical Engineering

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 Section 13.0 – Basic Electrical Engineering
Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 3
2.0 Electric Fundamentals ........................................................................................................ 4
2.1 Charge ............................................................................................................................ 4
2.2 Current ............................................................................................................................ 4
2.3 Voltage ........................................................................................................................... 6
2.4 Resistance ...................................................................................................................... 6
2.5 Power (Resistive) ........................................................................................................... 6
2.6 Energy ............................................................................................................................ 7
3.0 Electrical Laws ................................................................................................................... 8
3.1 Ohm’s Law ...................................................................................................................... 9
3.2 Electrical Power .............................................................................................................. 9
33 Kirchhoff’s Laws ............................................................................................................. 9
2.3.1 Kirchhoff’s Voltage Law (KVL) ................................................................................. 9
2.3.2 Kirchhoff’s Current Law (KCL) ............................................................................... 10
4.0 AC & DC Circuits .............................................................................................................. 11
4.1 DC Series Circuits ........................................................................................................ 11
4.2 DC Parallel Circuits ...................................................................................................... 12
4.3 DC Open Circuit ........................................................................................................... 13

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4.4 DC Short Circuit ............................................................................................................ 14
4.5 DC Multiple Sources (Superposition Theorem) ............................................................ 14
4.6 Inductors ....................................................................................................................... 18
4.6.1 Inductor Characteristics ......................................................................................... 20
4.6.2 Inductors in Parallel ............................................................................................... 20
4.6.3 Inductors in Series ................................................................................................. 21
4.7 Capacitors .................................................................................................................... 21
4.7.1 Capacitor Characteristics ...................................................................................... 23
4.7.2 Capacitors in Parallel ............................................................................................ 24
4.7.3 Capacitor in Series ................................................................................................ 24
4.8 Alternating Current ....................................................................................................... 24
4.8.1 Frequency ............................................................................................................. 25
4.8.2 RMS and MAX ....................................................................................................... 25

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 4.9 Phasors ........................................................................................................................ 28
4.9.1 Rectangular Form .................................................................................................. 28
4.9.2 Polar Form ............................................................................................................. 29
4.9.3 Converting Polar and Rectangular Forms - Calculator .......................................... 30
4.10 Impedance .................................................................................................................... 32
4.10.1 Resistance (Resistors) .......................................................................................... 32
4.10.2 Inductance or Inductive Reactance (Inductors) ..................................................... 32
4.10.3 Capacitance or Capacitive Reactance (Capacitors) .............................................. 33
4.10.4 Impedance ............................................................................................................. 33
5.0 Measuring Devices ........................................................................................................... 34
6.0 Three Phase Power ......................................................................................................... 34
6.1 Single-Phase ................................................................................................................ 34
6.2 Three-Phase ................................................................................................................. 35
6.2.1 Delta Arrangement ................................................................................................ 37
6.2.2 Wye Arrangement ................................................................................................. 39
6.3 Power Factor ................................................................................................................ 42
6.3.1 Waveform – Current & Voltage ............................................................................. 42
6.3.2 Phasor – Current & Voltage .................................................................................. 44
6.3.3 Apparent Power, Real Power and Reactive Power ............................................... 46
6.3.4 Apparent Power Vector Equations ........................................................................ 48
7.0 Practice Exam Problems .................................................................................................. 49

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7.1 Practice Exam Problem 1 - Thevenin ........................................................................... 49
7.2 Practice Exam Problem 2 – Norton .............................................................................. 51
7.3 Practice Exam Problem 3 – KVL .................................................................................. 51
7.4 Practice Exam Problem 4 – KCL .................................................................................. 52
7.5 Practice Exam Problem 5 – Series/Parallel Circuits ..................................................... 52
7.6 Practice Exam Problem 6 – Series/Parallel Circuits ..................................................... 53
7.7 Practice Exam Problem 7 – Impedance ....................................................................... 53
7.8 Practice Exam Problem 8 - Impedance ........................................................................ 54
7.9 Practice Exam Problem 9 – Waveform Analysis .......................................................... 54
7.10 Practice Exam Problem 10 – Phasors .......................................................................... 55
7.11 Practice Exam Problem 11 - Phasors ........................................................................... 55
7.12 Practice Exam Problem 12 – Impedance ..................................................................... 56
7.13 Practice Exam Problem 13 – Impedance ..................................................................... 56

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 7.14 Practice Exam Problem 14 - Waveform Analysis ......................................................... 57
7.15 Practice Exam Problem 15 - Waveform Analysis ......................................................... 57
8.0 Practice Exam Solutions .................................................................................................. 58
8.1 Practice Exam Solution 1 – Thevenin ........................................................................... 58
8.2 Practice Exam Solution 2 - Norton ............................................................................... 60
8.3 Practice Exam Solution 3 - KVL ................................................................................... 62
8.4 Practice Exam Solution 4 - KCL ................................................................................... 63
8.5 Practice Exam Solution 5 - Series/Parallel Circuits ...................................................... 64
8.6 Practice Exam Solution 6 - Series/Parallel Circuits ...................................................... 64
8.7 Practice Exam Solution 7 – Impedance ........................................................................ 65
8.8 Practice Exam Solution 8 – Impedance ........................................................................ 66
8.9 Practice Exam Solution 9 – Waveform Analysis ........................................................... 66
8.10 Practice Exam Solution 10 - Phasors ........................................................................... 67
8.11 Practice Exam Solution 11 - Phasors ........................................................................... 68
8.12 Practice Exam Solution 12 - Impedance ...................................................................... 69
8.13 Practice Exam Solution 13 – Impedance ...................................................................... 69
8.14 Practice Exam Solution 14 – Waveform Analysis ......................................................... 70
8.15 Practice Exam Solution 15 - Waveform Analysis.......................................................... 70

1.0 INTRODUCTION

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Basic Electrical Engineering accounts for approximately 6 to 9 questions on the Other
Disciplines FE exam. These questions can cover the following NCEES outline topics: KCL, KVL,
series & parallel equivalent circuits, Thevenin & Norton theorems and node & loop analysis.
These topics are all techniques that you can use to simplify complex DC (direct current) circuits.
Each of these techniques are discussed in detail with example problems in this section. The
next three topics from the NCEES outline are waveform analysis, phasors and impedance.
These topics are most often covered under AC (alternating current) circuits.

The Electrical and Computer Engineering section of the NCEES FE Reference Handbook has
all of the basic equations you need to solve any circuit analysis problem, like KCL, KVL series,
parallel, etc. However, it is recommended that you read through the following section, complete
the practice problems and commit the common equations to memory. This will save you a lot of
time on the many easy questions that should come out of this topic, which can then be used for
the more complex questions.

Section 13.0 Basic Electrical Engineering (6 to 9 Problems)

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 NCEES
Outline Engineering Pro Guides’ Topic
Value
Topic 1.0 Introduction
Electrical fundamentals (e.g., charge, current, voltage, resistance,
13A Topic 2.0
power, energy)
13B Topic 3.0 Current and voltage laws (e.g., Kirchhoff, Ohm)
AC and DC circuits (e.g., real and imaginary components, complex
13C Topic 4.0 numbers, power factor, reactance and impedance, series, parallel,
capacitance and inductance, RLC circuits)
13D Topic 5.0 Measuring devices (e.g., voltmeter, ammeter, wattmeter)
Three-phase power (e.g., motor efficiency, balanced loads, power
13E Topic 6.0
equation)
Topic 7.0 Practice Exam Problems

2.0 ELECTRIC FUNDAMENTALS

2.1 CHARGE
An electric charge, Q, describes the number of electrons or protons there are. It can be positive
(protons) or negative (electrons) and is measured in Coulombs (C). For example, one electron
has -1.6 x 10-19 C of charge and one proton has +1.6 x 10-19 C. The movement of electrons is
the foundation of how electricity works. It is unlikely that charge itself will be tested. It is more
important to understand how charge is used to describe other concepts like current, power,
voltage, and energy.

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2.2 CURRENT
Current, I, is the movement of charge and is more specifically defined as the rate at which
charge flows. It is represented in terms of Amps, where one amp is equal to the movement of
one Coulomb of charge per second.

𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒 𝐶
𝐶𝑢𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡, 𝐼 𝐴𝑚𝑝𝑠
𝑇𝑖𝑚𝑒 sec

𝑑𝑞
𝐼 → 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒, 𝑄 𝑖 𝑡 𝑑𝑡
𝑑𝑡

For steady flow, current can be calculated as:

𝛥𝑄
𝐼 𝐴𝑚𝑝𝑠
𝛥𝑡

One characteristic to distinguish is that current flows in the opposite direction of electrons.
Current flows from positive to negative, see the green arrow in the figure below, start at the

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positive end of the battery, loop around the circuit and end at the negative end. Electrons on
the other hand are attracted to positive charge, so it will flow from negative to positive, as shown
in red below.

Figure 1: Current flows in a circuit from the positive end of the battery to the negative, as shown
in green, while electrons flow from negative to positive.

Direct current (DC) is the supply of current in one direction. As mentioned previously, current
flows from the positive voltage terminal to the negative terminal in a circuit. Current is deemed
positive when it flows in this direction. Current is considered negative when it flows from a
negative terminal to a positive terminal. DC current is a constant source and does not switch
between negative and positive. The simplest example of a DC source is a battery.

Alternating current (AC) is able to supply current in both directions, positive to negative and
negative to positive. This is shown in the graph below, where the current can be positive (above
the 0-axis) or negative (below the 0-axis). Alternating current is what is supplied by the electric
company to buildings. Alternating current is further discussed in the Alternating Circuits topic.

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Figure 2: In an AC circuit, current can alternate its flow from positive to negative. In a DC
circuit, current is constant.

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 & Heat Transfer
14 – Thermodynamics

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 Section 14.0 –Thermodynamics & Heat Transfer
Table of Contents

1.0 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 6

2.0 Thermodynamics Laws ...................................................................................................... 6
3.0 Thermodynamic Equilibrium ............................................................................................... 7
4.0 Thermodynamics Properties .............................................................................................. 7
4.1 Pressure ......................................................................................................................... 7
4.2 Temperature ................................................................................................................... 9
4.3 Enthalpy ........................................................................................................................ 10
4.4 Entropy ......................................................................................................................... 11
4.5 Specific Heat ................................................................................................................ 12
5.0 Thermodynamics Processes ............................................................................................ 13
5.1 Thermodynamic Transitions (Ideal Gases) ................................................................... 13
5.1.1 Isentropic Transition from Pressure State 1 to Pressure State 2 .......................... 14
5.1.2 Isobaric Transition with Heat Gain or Heat Rejection ............................................ 14
5.1.3 Isochoric Transition with Heat Gain or Reduction ................................................. 15
5.1.4 Adiabatic Transitions ............................................................................................. 16
5.1.5 Isothermal Transitions ........................................................................................... 16
5.1.6 Polytropic Transitions ............................................................................................ 17

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5.1.7 Isentropic Transitions ............................................................................................ 17
5.2 Pressure-Enthalpy Diagrams ........................................................................................ 18
5.3 Thermodynamic Tables (Steam & Refrigerant) ............................................................ 24
5.4 Mollier Diagram ............................................................................................................ 28
5.5 Determining Properties of Steam ................................................................................. 29
6.0 Power Cycles ................................................................................................................... 30
6.1 Ideal open gas turbine cycle ......................................................................................... 30
6.1.1 Step 1: Compressor ............................................................................................. 31
6.1.2 Step 2: Combustion chamber ............................................................................... 32
6.1.3 Step 3: Turbine ..................................................................................................... 32
6.1.4 Step 4: Exhaust .................................................................................................... 32
6.1.5 Brayton cycle efficiency ......................................................................................... 32
6.2 Ideal Brayton cycle - closed gas turbine cycle .............................................................. 32

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 6.2.1 Step 1 to 2: Compressor ...................................................................................... 33
6.2.2 Step 2 to 3: Combustion chamber and heat exchanger ....................................... 34
6.2.3 Step 3 to 4: Turbine .............................................................................................. 34
6.2.4 Step 4 to 1: Heat exchanger ................................................................................. 34
6.2.5 Efficiency ............................................................................................................... 34
6.3 Ideal Brayton cycle - closed gas turbine cycle with heat recovery................................ 35
6.4 Actual Brayton cycle - closed gas turbine cycle ........................................................... 35
6.4.1 Step 1: Compressor ............................................................................................. 35
6.4.2 Step 2: Combustion chamber and heat exchanger .............................................. 35
6.4.3 Step 3: Turbine ..................................................................................................... 35
6.4.4 Step 4: Heat exchanger ........................................................................................ 36
6.5 Rankine Cycle .............................................................................................................. 36
6.5.1 Rankine cycle (yellow) ........................................................................................... 37
6.5.2 Boiler-combustion system (red-blue) ..................................................................... 37
6.5.3 Electric generator (green) ...................................................................................... 37
6.5.4 Cooling tower-condenser water system (blue) ...................................................... 38
7.0 Refrigeration Cycles ......................................................................................................... 41
7.1 Vapor Compression Cycle ............................................................................................ 41
7.1.1 Evaporator ............................................................................................................. 41
7.1.2 Compressor ........................................................................................................... 43
7.1.3 Condenser ............................................................................................................. 43

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7.1.4 Expansion Device .................................................................................................. 44
7.2 Refrigeration Cycle & P-H Diagram .............................................................................. 45
7.2.1 Step 1 Evaporator ....................................................................................................... 48
7.2.2 Step 2 Compressor ..................................................................................................... 52
7.2.3 Step 3 Condenser ....................................................................................................... 55
7.2.4 Step 4 Expansion Device ............................................................................................ 56
7.2.5 Net Refrigeration/Condenser, Work and COP: ........................................................... 57
8.0 Heat Transfer ................................................................................................................... 60
8.1 Conduction ................................................................................................................... 60
8.1.1 Thermal Conductivity ............................................................................................. 61
8.1.2 U-Factor ................................................................................................................ 61
8.1.3 R-Value ................................................................................................................. 62

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 8.1.4 Thermal Conduction Through Pipes ...................................................................... 62
8.1.5 Thermal Resistance .............................................................................................. 63
8.2 Convection .................................................................................................................... 65
8.2.1 Determine Geometric Situation ............................................................................. 66
8.2.2 Reynolds, Prandtl & Rayleigh Numbers ................................................................ 66
8.2.3 Determine Nusselt Number ................................................................................... 68
8.2.4 Determine Hydraulic Diameter or Characteristic Length ....................................... 68
8.2.5 Determine Convective Heat Transfer Coefficient .................................................. 68
8.2.6 Determine Convective Heat Transfer .................................................................... 69
8.3 Radiation ...................................................................................................................... 70
8.3.1 Emissivity .............................................................................................................. 70
8.3.2 Temperature difference between two objects ....................................................... 70
8.4 Transient Processes ..................................................................................................... 71
8.4.1 Biot Number .......................................................................................................... 71
8.4.2 Convective Heat Transfer between Surface and Environment ............................. 71
8.5 Heat Exchangers .......................................................................................................... 72
8.5.1 Types of Heat Exchangers .................................................................................... 72
8.5.2 Log Mean Temperature Difference ....................................................................... 73
8.5.3 Heat Exchanger U-Value ....................................................................................... 74
8.5.4 Heat Balance Between Hot and Cold Fluids ......................................................... 76
8.5.5 Heat Exchanger Effectiveness .............................................................................. 76

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8.5.6 NTU Method .......................................................................................................... 77
9.0 Mass & Energy Balances ................................................................................................. 77
9.1 Turbines, Pumps & Compressors: ................................................................................ 78
9.2 Boilers, Condensers, Evaporators: ............................................................................... 78
9.3 Heat exchangers .......................................................................................................... 78
9.4 Mixing ........................................................................................................................... 78
10.0 Property & Phase Diagrams ............................................................................................. 79
11.0 Combustion and Combustion Products ............................................................................ 79
11.1 Fuel............................................................................................................................... 79
11.2 Air ................................................................................................................................. 80
11.3 Stoichiometry ................................................................................................................ 80
11.4 Air to Fuel Ratio ............................................................................................................ 81

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 11.5 Excess Air ..................................................................................................................... 81
12.0 Psychrometrics ................................................................................................................. 82
12.1 Properties of Moist Air .................................................................................................. 83
12.1.1 Dry Bulb Temperature ........................................................................................... 83
12.1.2 Wet Bulb Temperature .......................................................................................... 84
12.1.3 Relative Humidity .................................................................................................. 85
12.1.4 Humidity Ratio ....................................................................................................... 87
12.1.5 Enthalpy ................................................................................................................ 89
12.1.6 Specific Volume ..................................................................................................... 89
12.1.7 Dew Point .............................................................................................................. 91
12.2 Movement on Psychrometric Chart .............................................................................. 92
12.2.1 Sensible Heating/Cooling ...................................................................................... 92
12.2.2 Latent Heating/Cooling .......................................................................................... 95
12.2.3 Total Heating/Cooling ............................................................................................ 99
12.2.3 Sensible Heat Ratio ............................................................................................... 99
12.2.4 Mixing of Two Air Streams .................................................................................. 102
13.0 Practice Problems .......................................................................................................... 105
13.1 Problem 1 – Evaporator .............................................................................................. 105
13.2 Problem 2 – Evaporator .............................................................................................. 105
13.3 Problem 3 – Evaporator .............................................................................................. 106
13.4 Problem 4 – Compressor ............................................................................................ 106

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13.5 Problem 5 – Compressor ............................................................................................ 107
13.6 Problem 6 – Condenser .............................................................................................. 107
13.7 Problem 7 – Condenser .............................................................................................. 108
13.8 Problem 8 – Expansion Device .................................................................................. 108
13.9 Problem 9 – Expansion Device .................................................................................. 109
13.10 Problem 10 – COP .................................................................................................. 109
13.11 Problem 11 – COP .................................................................................................. 110
13.12 Problem 12 - Steam Production .............................................................................. 110
13.13 Problem 13 - Steam Air Coils .................................................................................. 111
13.14 Problem 14 - Steam - Hot Water Coils .................................................................... 111
13.15 Problem 15 – Brayton Cycle ................................................................................... 112
13.16 Problem 16 – Brayton Cycle ................................................................................... 112

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 13.17 Problem 17 – Combustion ...................................................................................... 113
13.18 Problem 18 – Rankine Cycle .................................................................................. 113
13.19 Problem 19 – Psychrometric Chart ......................................................................... 114
13.20 Problem 20 – Air Mixtures ....................................................................................... 115
14.0 Solutions ........................................................................................................................ 116
14.1 Solution 1 - Evaporator ............................................................................................... 116
14.2 Solution 2 – Evaporator .............................................................................................. 117
14.3 Solution 3 – Evaporator .............................................................................................. 117
14.4 Solution 4 – Compressor ............................................................................................ 118
14.5 Solution 5 – Compressor ............................................................................................ 119
14.6 Solution 6 – Condenser .............................................................................................. 120
14.7 Solution 7 – Condenser .............................................................................................. 121
14.8 Solution 8 – Expansion Device ................................................................................... 122
14.9 Solution 9 – Expansion Device ................................................................................... 124
14.10 Solution 10 – COP .................................................................................................. 124
14.11 Solution 11 – COP .................................................................................................. 124
14.12 Solution 12: Steam Production ............................................................................... 126
14.13 Solution 13: Steam Air Coils .................................................................................. 126
14.14 Solution 14: Steam - Hot Water Coils ..................................................................... 127
14.15 Solution 15 – Brayton Cycle .................................................................................... 127
14.16 Solution 16 – Brayton Cycle .................................................................................... 128

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14.17 Solution 17 – Combustion ....................................................................................... 129
14.18 Solution 18 – Rankine Cycle ................................................................................... 129
14.19 Solution 19 – Psychrometric Chart ......................................................................... 131
14.20 Solution 20 – Air Mixtures ....................................................................................... 132

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1.0 INTRODUCTION
Thermodynamics & Heat Transfer accounts for approximately 9 to 14 questions on the FE Other
Disciplines exam. Thermodynamics & Heat Transfer is one of the largest topics on the FE Other
Disciplines Exam. The following list is the outline of the Thermodynamics & Heat Transfer topics
that can appear on the exam. This section will go into detail on the key concepts and skills that
are necessary under each topic. Following, the key concepts and skills there will be problems
that you can use to test your understanding of the concepts and skills.

Section 14.0 Thermodynamics & Heat Transfer (9 to 14 Problems)

NCEES
Outline Engineering Pro Guides
Value
Topic 1.0 Introduction
14A Topic 2.0 Thermodynamic laws (e.g., first law, second law)
14B Topic 3.0 Thermodynamic equilibrium
14C Topic 4.0 Thermodynamic properties (e.g., entropy, enthalpy, heat capacity)
Thermodynamic processes (e.g., isothermal, adiabatic, reversible,
14D Topic 5.0
irreversible)
14D Topic 6.0 Power Cycles
14D Topic 7.0 Refrigeration Cycles
14E Topic 8.0 Heat transfer (e.g., conduction, convection, radiation)
14F Topic 9.0 Mass and energy balances
14G Topic 10.0 Property and phase diagrams (e.g., T-s, P-h, P-v)
Combustion and combustion products (e.g., CO, CO2, NOX, ash,

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14H Topic 11.0
particulates)
14I Topic 12.0 Psychrometrics (e.g., relative humidity, wet bulb)
Topic 13.0 Practice Exam Problems

2.0 THERMODYNAMICS LAWS

There are three main laws of thermodynamics as shown below. But you don’t need to understand
the theory behind these thermodynamic laws, you just need to be able to apply these laws to the
thermodynamic problems as shown throughout the remaining topics in this section.

1st Law of Thermodynamics: The first law of thermodynamics is the conservation of energy,
which was briefly discussed in the previous topic.

2nd Law of Thermodynamics: The second law is that entropy always increases.

3rd Law of Thermodynamics: The third law is that the entropy of a system approaches zero as
the temperature approaches absolute zero.

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 15 – Full Exam

Study Guide
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1.0 FULL EXAM PROBLEMS
Total time for the 110 questions is 5 hours and 20 minutes.

-- START SESSION 1 –

1.1 PROBLEM 1 – MATHEMATICS

Convert the following value to polar form.

5 √ 49

(a) 8.6∠55°

(b) 5 7∠50°

(c) 8.6∠ 55°

(d) 5∠ 55°

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1.2 PROBLEM 2 – MATHEMATICS
Find the product of the following two vectors, a & b.

𝑎 5 6𝑖; 𝑏 √2 7𝑖;

(a) 56∠28°

(b) 49∠14°

(c) 56∠ 28°

(d) 49∠ 14°

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Other Disciplines FE Practice Exam
1.5 PROBLEM 5 – MATHEMATICS
The following a-b-c triangle has sides and an angle shown below. What is the length of the
remaining side?

𝑎 20; 𝐵 75°; 𝑐 30;

(a) 23

(b) 27

(c) 31

(d) 990

1.6 PROBLEM 6 - MATHEMATICS

Find the inflection point of the following equation.

𝑦 𝑒 5𝑥

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(a) (2.3, -16.5)

(b) (-2.3, -16.5)

(c) (16, 2)

(d) (2.3, 0)

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Other Disciplines FE Practice Exam
1.13 PROBLEM 13 - PROBABILITY & STATISTICS
A fair, 6-sided die is rolled 9 times. What is the probability that a 4 is rolled only once?

(a) 0.15

(b) 0.35

(c) 0.66

(d) 0.81

1.14 PROBLEM 14 - PROBABILITY & STATISTICS

A fair, 6-sided die is rolled 8 times. What is the probability that an even number is rolled less
than 4 times?

(a) 0.03

(b) 0.10

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(c) 0.22

(d) 0.36

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Other Disciplines FE Practice Exam
1.22 PROBLEM 22 – INSTRUMENTATION & CONTROLS
A Wheatstone bridge is used to measure the change in resistance in a thermistor. The resistors
all have a resistance equal to 20 ohms when the output voltage is 0 V and the input voltage is
24 V. If the variable resistor has a change of +5 ohms, then what will be the change in voltage?

(a) 1.0 V

(b) 1.5 V

(c) 3.0 V

(d) 6.0 V

1.23 PROBLEM 23 – INSTRUMENTATION & CONTROLS

A strain gauge has a gauge factor of 3.1. The unstrained resistance is equal to 95 ohms. There
is a change in resistance of 0.08 ohms. What is the measured strain?

(a) 2.7 x 10-4

(b) 9.7 x 10-4

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(c) 4.1 x 10-3

(d) 6.5 x 10-2

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Other Disciplines FE Practice Exam
1.26 PROBLEM 26 – ETHICS AND PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
Which of the following statements is most nearly NOT true regarding engineers issuing public
statements?

(a) Engineers shall issue public statements only in an objective and truthful manner.

(b) Engineers may always express publicly technical opinions.

(c) Engineers may always issue criticisms on technical matters that are paid for by interested
parties.

(d) Engineers shall issue public statements along with any pertinent information and the date
indicating when it was current.

1.27 PROBLEM 27 - ETHICS AND PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE

Which of the following statements is most nearly true regarding public safety?

(a) Engineers may take assignments when not qualified by education or experience, as long as
they disclose this information to their client.

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(b) Engineers may affix their stamp to plans that have not been prepared under their direction
or control.

(c) Engineers must not take assignments outside of their qualifications.

(d) Engineers may coordinate and assume responsibility for other engineers’ work as long as
the engineers are qualified.

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Other Disciplines FE Practice Exam
1.36 PROBLEM 36 – SAFETY, HEALTH & ENVIRONMENT
Cyanides will generate toxic gas with which of the following chemicals?

(a) Acids

(b) Esters

(c) Ethers

(d) Fluorides

1.37 PROBLEM 37 – ENGINEERING ECONOMICS

A new transformer costs $5,000 and has an annual maintenance cost of $250. If the salvage
value is $1000 at the end of its 20 year life, then what is the annual value of this transformer?
Assume an interest rate of 5%.

(a) $620

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(b) $250

(c) -$250

(d) -$620

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Other Disciplines FE Practice Exam
1.38 PROBLEM 38 - ENGINEERING ECONOMICS
Background: A 200 HP pump operates for 1500 hours in the year. The motor is 90% efficient
and the power factor is 0.88. Energy cost is $0.23 per kilowatt-hour and monthly demand cost
is $8.90/KVA.

Problem: How much does it cost to operate the pump in one year?

(a) $73,000

(b) $75,000

(c) $77,000

(d) $85,000

1.39 PROBLEM 39 - ENGINEERING ECONOMICS

A new machine is installed in order to increase productivity. This new machine costs $160,000
and has an ongoing operating and maintenance cost of $500 per month. The new machine will
save $2,000 per month and will have a salvage value of $15,000 after 10 years. If the interest
rate is 4%, then what is the annual cost of the new machine?

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(a) $500

(b) $6,500

(c) $11,500

(d) $19,000

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Other Disciplines FE Practice Exam
1.44 PROBLEM 44 – STATICS
Given the two force vectors shown in the vector below, find the x and y components of the
combined force vector.

(a) Fx = -58 N; Fy = 607 N;

(b) Fx = -158 N; Fy = 75 N;

(c) Fx = -256 N; Fy = 444 N;

(d) Fx = -781 N; Fy = 856 N;

1.45 PROBLEM 45 – STATICS

What is the moment about point C, due to the force shown? Neglect the weight of the member.

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(a) 12 N-m

(b) 18 N-m

(c) 24 N-m

(d) 32 N-m

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Other Disciplines FE Practice Exam
1.58 PROBLEM 58 – DYNAMICS, KINEMATICS AND VIBRATIONS
A force of 10 N is applied to a mass of 5 kg for 3 seconds. A force of 10 N is applied to a mass
of 50 kg for 3 seconds. Which of the masses has the largest momentum?

(a) 5 kg mass

(b) 50 kg mass

(c) Momentums are equal

(d) Unable to determine

1.59 PROBLEM 59 – DYNAMICS, KINEMATICS AND VIBRATIONS

A vibrating system is described as having a spring constant of 1,000 N/m and a mass of 50 kg.
The viscous damping coefficient is 400 N-s/m. What is the damped frequency?

(a) 2 rad/s

(b) 4.5 rad/s

(c) 7.8 rad/s

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(d) 10 rad/s

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Other Disciplines FE Practice Exam
1.108 PROBLEM 108 – THERMODYNAMICS & HEAT TRANSFER
Which term is not applicable to calculating the convection coefficient of a forced convection
fluid, regardless of the fluid viscosity and turbulence?

(a) Nusselt Number

(b) Reynold’s Number

(c) Grashof Number

(d) Prandtl Number

1.109 PROBLEM 109 – THERMODYNAMICS & HEAT TRANSFER

Hot water enters a counterflow, plate and frame heat exchanger at 140 F at a rate of 50 gpm.
Cold water is heated from 70F to 110F at a rate of 20 gpm. Given that the NTU is 1.4, what is
the effectiveness of the heat exchanger?

(a) 0.6

(b) 0.7

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(c) 0.8

(d) 0.9

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Other Disciplines FE Practice Exam
2.0 FULL EXAM SOLUTIONS

-- START SESSION 1 --

2.1 SOLUTION 1 – MATHEMATICS

Convert the following value to polar form.

5 √ 49

𝑅𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 √ 1 𝑖𝑠 𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑎𝑙 𝑡𝑜 𝑖

5 √ 1√49

5 7𝑖

Now convert the complex rectangular number to polar form with your calculator.

5 7𝑖 → 2𝑛𝑑 → 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑥 → 𝑝𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑟 → 8.6∠54.5°

The correct answer is most nearly, (a) 𝟖. 𝟔∠𝟓𝟓°.

(a) 8.6∠55°

(b) 5 7∠50°

(c) 8.6∠ 55°

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(d) 5∠ 55°

2.2 SOLUTION 2 – MATHEMATICS

Find the product of the following two vectors, a & b.

𝑎 5 6𝑖; 𝑏 √2 7𝑖;

There are multiple ways to solve this problem, but the easiest is to use your calculator. Make
sure you put parentheses around the vectors.

5 6𝑖 √2 7𝑖 49 26.5𝑖

49 26.5𝑖 → 2𝑛𝑑 → 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑥 → 𝑝𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑟 → 56∠ 28°

The correct answer is most nearly, (c) 𝟓𝟔∠ 𝟐𝟖°.

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Other Disciplines FE Practice Exam
2.15 SOLUTION 15 - PROBABILITY & STATISTICS
A machined product must have a strength of 10 MPa. A sample of 10 products are tested out of
the entire population of products. The mean of the sample is 9.8 MPa. The population standard
deviation is 0.5 MPa. What is the probability that the population mean is greater than 10 MPa?

For this problem, you have your sample mean and your desired population mean. You also
have your population standard deviation. This allows you to use the below equation from the
Probability section of the FE Reference Handbook.
𝜎
𝜇 𝑋 𝑍 ;
√𝑛

𝜇 𝑝𝑜𝑝𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛; 𝑋 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛; 𝑍 𝑍 𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑛𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑙 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑏𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑡𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒

𝜎 𝑝𝑜𝑝𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑑𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛; 𝑛 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑠

0.5
10 9.8 𝑍
√10

𝑍 1.265;

Now, go to the Normal distribution table and find the resulting probability. You want to find the
probability that this Z-factor is greater than 1.265, because this will make the population mean
larger than 10 MPa.

𝑍 1.265; 𝑅 1.265 10%

The correct answer is most nearly, (b) 10%.

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(a) 3%

(b) 10%

(c) 40%

(d) 90%

2.16 SOLUTION 16 - PROBABILITY & STATISTICS

A machined product must have a strength of 10 MPa. A sample of 10 products are tested out of
the entire population of products. The mean of the sample is 9.8 MPa. The population standard
deviation is unknown but the sample deviation is 0.9 MPa. What is the probability that the
population mean is greater than 10 MPa? Hint: Use the t-distribution.

For this problem, you have your sample mean and your desired population mean. But you don’t
have your population standard deviation. This means you to use the below equation from the
Probability section of the FE Reference Handbook.

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 𝑆
𝜇 𝑋 𝑡 ;
√𝑛

𝜇 𝑝𝑜𝑝𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛; 𝑋 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛; 𝑍 𝑍 𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑛𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑙 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑏𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑡𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒

𝑠 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑑𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛; 𝑛 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑠; 𝑑𝑒𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑑𝑜𝑚 𝑛 1

0.9
10 9.8 𝑡
√10

𝑡 0.703;

Now, go to the t-distribution table and find the resulting probability with 9 degrees of freedom.
You want to find the probability that this t-factor is greater than 0.703, because this will make the
population mean larger than 10 MPa.

𝑡 0.703; 𝛼 0.703, 𝑣 9 25%

The correct answer is most nearly, (d) 25%.

(a) 1%

(b) 5%

(c) 15%

(d) 25%

2.17 SOLUTION 17 – CHEMISTRY

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Given the following the chemical reaction, determine the current equilibrium constant. The
equilibrium constant during equilibrium is equal to 1 x 10-5.

𝐶𝑎𝑆𝑂 ⇌ 𝐶𝑎 𝑆𝑂

𝐶𝑢𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡: 𝐶𝑎 0.01𝑀; 𝑆𝑂 0.1 𝑀; 𝐶𝑎𝑆𝑂 0.5𝑀

The equation for chemical equilibrium constant is shown in the chemistry section. Just
remember that it is products over reactants.

0.01 ∗ 0.1
𝐾 0.002
0.5

The correct answer is most nearly, (c) 2 x 10-3.

(a) 1 x 10-4

(b) 6 x 10-4

(c) 2 x 10-3

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 2𝐴𝑔 𝐶𝑢 ⟶ 𝐶𝑢 2𝐴𝑔 0.462

The correct answer is most nearly, (c) 0.462 V.

(a) 1.13 V

(b) 0.799 V

(c) 0.462 V

(d) 0.009 V

2.22 SOLUTION 22 – INSTRUMENTATION & CONTROLS

A Wheatstone bridge is used to measure the change in resistance in a thermistor. The resistors
all have a resistance equal to 20 ohms when the output voltage is 0 V and the input voltage is
24 V. If the variable resistor has a change of +5 ohms, then what will be the change in voltage?

𝐼𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙 → 𝑅 𝑅 𝑅 𝑅 20 𝑜ℎ𝑚𝑠

∆𝑅 5
𝑉 𝑉 24 𝑉 1.5 𝑉
4𝑅 4 20

The correct answer is most nearly, (b) 1.5 V.

(a) 1.0 V

(b) 1.5 V

(c) 3.0 V

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(d) 6.0 V

2.23 SOLUTION 23 – INSTRUMENTATION & CONTROLS

A strain gauge has a gauge factor of 3.1. The unstrained resistance is equal to 95 ohms. There
is a change in resistance of 0.08 ohms. What is the measured strain?

∆𝑅/𝑅
𝐺𝑎𝑢𝑔𝑒 𝐹𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟 𝐺𝐹
∆𝐿/𝐿

. 08/95
𝐺𝐹 3.1
𝜀

𝜀 2.7 𝑥 10

The correct answer is most nearly, (a) 2.7 x 10-4.

(a) 2.7 x 10-4

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(b) 9.7 x 10-4

(c) 4.1 x 10-3

(d) 6.5 x 10-2

2.24 SOLUTION 24 – INSTRUMENTATION & CONTROLS

A resistance temperature detector has a metal with a coefficient of 0.00210 Ω Ω ℃ . The initial
conditions are 250 ohms and 20 °C. There is a change in resistance of 3 ohms. What is the
final temperature?

𝑅 𝑅 1 𝛼 𝑇 𝑇

253 250 1 0.00210 𝑇 20 𝐶

𝑇 25.7 ℃

The correct answer is most nearly, (a) 25.7 °C.

(a) 25.7 °C

(b) 29.1 °C

(c) 36.3 °C

(d) 41.9 °C

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2.25 SOLUTION 25 – INSTRUMENTATION & CONTROLS
A current waveform has a frequency of 60 Hz. What is the minimum sampling frequency?

According to Nyquist’s sampling theorem in the Instrumentation, Measurement & Control

section in the FE Handbook, the sampling frequency must be double the signal frequency.

𝑛 60𝐻𝑧 𝑥 2 120 𝐻𝑧

The frequency is equal to the inverse of the period.

1
𝑇 𝑠 0.00833 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑠
120

A sample must be completed in each sampling period.

The correct answer is most nearly, (a) 1 sample every 0.00833 seconds.

(a) 1 sample every 0.00833 seconds.

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(d) -$620

2.38 SOLUTION 38 - ENGINEERING ECONOMICS

Background: A 200 HP pump operates for 1500 hours in the year. The motor is 90% efficient
and the power factor is 0.88. Energy cost is $0.23 per kilowatt-hour and monthly demand cost
is $8.90/KVA.

Problem: How much does it cost to operate the pump in one year?

(1) Find the KW draw from the motor:

Convert pump brake horsepower to motor horsepower.

𝑃
𝑃
𝜀

200 𝐻𝑃
𝑃 222 𝐻𝑃
0.90

Convert to KW from HP

0.7457 𝐾𝑊
222 𝐻𝑃 ∗ 165.6 𝐾𝑊
𝐻𝑃

(2) Find the yearly kilowatt-hours(kwh) consumed.

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ℎ𝑟𝑠
166 𝐾𝑊 ∗ 1,500 248,318 𝑘𝑤ℎ
𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟

Find the yearly energy cost ($)

$0.23
248,318 𝑘𝑤ℎ ∗ $57,113
𝑘𝑤ℎ

(3) Find the yearly demand cost ($)

1 𝐾𝑉𝐴 $8.90 12 𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑡ℎ

166 𝐾𝑊 ∗ ∗ ∗ $20,097
0.88 𝐾𝑊 𝐾𝑉𝐴 𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑡ℎ 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟

(4) Find the total electricity cost ($)

Total Electricity Cost Energy Cost Demand Cost

$57,113 $20,097 $77,210

The correct answer is most nearly. (C), $77,000

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2.39 SOLUTION 39 - ENGINEERING ECONOMICS
A new machine is installed in order to increase productivity. This new machine costs $160,000
and has an ongoing operating and maintenance cost of $500 per month. The new machine will
save $2,000 per month and will have a salvage value of $15,000 after 10 years. If the interest
rate is 4%, then what is the annual cost of the new machine?

This problem involves finding the total annual cost. First, convert all your terms to an annual
value.

Initial Cost [Negative value = money lost at the beginning of the lifetime]

𝐹𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝑛𝑎𝑣𝑖𝑔𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑐𝑠 𝑡𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒𝑠, 4%

𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑡 𝑃𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒 𝑃 𝑡𝑜 𝐴𝑛𝑛𝑢𝑎𝑙 𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒 𝐴

𝐴
𝐴 𝑃∗ , 4%, 10
𝑃

𝐴 $160,000 ∗ 0.12329

𝐴 $19,726

Salvage Value [Positive value = money gained at the end of the lifetime]

𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑡 𝐹𝑢𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒 𝐹 𝑡𝑜 𝐴𝑛𝑛𝑢𝑎𝑙 𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒 𝐴

𝐴
𝐴 𝐹∗ , 4%, 10
𝐹

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𝐴 $15,000 ∗ 0.08329

𝐴 $1249

Operating & Maintenance Cost [Negative value = Money lost]

$500
𝐴 & ∗ 12 𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑡ℎ𝑠 $6,000 𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟
𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑡ℎ

Savings [Positive value = Money gained]

$2,000
𝐴 ∗ 12 𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑡ℎ𝑠 $24,000 𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟
𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑡ℎ

Finally, sum up all annual values.

𝐴 𝐴 𝐴 𝐴 & 𝐴

𝐴 $19,726 $1249 $6,000 $24,000

𝐴 $500

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 𝑚 1 𝑚𝑖𝑛 𝑘𝑔 𝑘𝐽 𝑘𝐽
𝑄 55 ∗ ∗ ∗ 60.74 42.10 20.41 20.4 𝑘𝑊
𝑚𝑖𝑛 60𝑠 0.837 𝑚 𝑘𝑔 𝑠

The correct answer is most nearly, (a) 20.4 kW

(a) 20.4 KW

(b) 25.5 KW

(c) 34.9 KW

(d) 1200 KW

2.107 SOLUTION 107 – THERMODYNAMICS & HEAT TRANSFER

1 kW of heat is added to 45 kg of air for 1 hour. Air is initially at a temperature of 30 °C. What
is the final temperature after 1 hour?

The heat added is 1 kW, which is equal to 1000 J/s.

𝑘𝐽 𝑠 𝑘𝐽
𝑄 1 ∗ 1 ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠 ∗ 3600 45 𝑘𝐺 ∗ 0.718 ∗ 𝑋 30
𝑠 ℎ𝑟 𝑘𝑔 𝐶

𝑋 141 °𝐶

The correct answer is most nearly, (d) 141 C.

(a) 75 °C

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(b) 92 °C

(c) 101 °C

(d) 141 °C

2.108 SOLUTION 108 – THERMODYNAMICS & HEAT TRANSFER

Which term is not applicable to calculating the convection coefficient of a forced convection
fluid, regardless of the fluid viscosity and turbulence?

(a) Nusselt Number

(b) Reynold’s Number

(c) Grashof Number

(d) Prandtl Number

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The correct answer is most nearly, (c) Grashof Number.

The Grashof number is the ratio of buoyancy forces to viscous forces and is used to calculate
the convection coefficient for heat transfer from natural convection. Natural convection is where
the fluid is moving due to temperature differences, like the temperature difference between a
surface and the ambient air. Forced convection is due to the forced movement of the fluid, like
water flowing in a pipe. The Nusselt Number, Reynold’s Number, and Prandtl Number are all
used to calculate forced convection coefficients. Prandtl and Nusselt numbers are also used in
natural convection calculations.

2.109 SOLUTION 109 – THERMODYNAMICS & HEAT TRANSFER

Hot water enters a counterflow, plate and frame heat exchanger at 140 F at a rate of 50 gpm.
Cold water is heated from 70F to 110F at a rate of 20 gpm. Given that the NTU is 1.4, what is
the effectiveness of the heat exchanger?

(a) 0.6

(b) 0.7

(c) 0.8

(d) 0.9

The NTU method is used when the LMTD cannot be calculated.

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Find the capacity rate ratio. Realize that the units will cancel out, so the mass flow rate can be
left in gpm.

𝐶 𝑚𝑐 20𝑔𝑝𝑚 ∗ 1 𝐵𝑡𝑢/𝑙𝑏𝑚𝐹
𝑐 0.4
𝐶 𝑚𝑐 50 𝑔𝑝𝑚 ∗ 1 𝐵𝑡𝑢/𝑙𝑏𝑚𝐹

For a counterflow heat exchanger, using the NTU method, the effectiveness is calculated as
follows.

1 exp 𝑁𝑇𝑈 1 𝑐
𝜀 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑐 1
1 𝑐 exp 𝑁𝑇𝑈 1 𝑐

1 exp 1.4 ∗ 1 0.4

𝜀 0.69
1 0.4 ∗ exp 1.4 ∗ 1 0.4

The answer is most nearly (b) 0.7

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